WN Help Desk Web Version History
| 9.2.1 - 7/4/2007 |
Fixed a problem with the Tech.asp page when posting tickets
that caused the page to appear to hang at a blank page.
Many pages had failed to include a new javascript reference
for window manipulation, which caused various errors when
code was attempting to position windows. The reference has
now been included to correct this situation.
|
| 9.2 - 7/1/2007 |
Fixed a problem with the AD import that was limiting
records returned from AD to 1000 records, which is
a built-in limit for AD when querying against the
directory. Put a workaround in place to find all
records.
Also fixed an AD import issue when the AD import updates
the EmployeeNumber field to match the Windows login name,
the code now fixes historical data and updates the
EmployeeNumber field in related tables.
Fixed a problem with the AJAX-based name lookup controls
that was returning the username instead of the unique
employeenumber field.
Fixed a sorting issue with the asset list on the ticket
interfaces. The list now correctly sorts by AssetID.
Fixed an issue on the User New Request form when the
AllowUsersToReportTicketsFor option is set to "self"
that caused a javascript error. This has now been corrected,
and the check username and clear username buttons are now
also hidden when this option is set to "self".
The KnowledgeBase now uses an AJAX-based tree menu
so that only the top-level categories are loadeed
when the page loads. Expanding a category now
dynamically loads the information in that category.
This should greatly increase performance for sites
that use a large KnowledgeBase.
The "Edit Settings" fields for ActiveDirectoryBlockOUs
and ActiveDirectoryLimitOUs have been extended in size
to accomodate large amounts of text. Previously, these
fields were limited to 255 characters.
Fixed the labels on the detail screen in the
KnowledgeBase interface. The text labels did not
exactly match the labels being used in the regular
ticket detail screen.
Added some filename checking to the file upload routine
to remove bad filesystem characters from filenames.
Fixed the "edit assignments" form so that users other
than the tbd user can edit assignments if they have the
permission to edit other tech's assignments.
|
| 9.1 - 1/26/2007 |
Fixed a problem with resolving a ticket
immediately after opening the ticket. If
you had opened a new ticket and then from
the ticket details screen resolved the only
open assignment on the ticket you would have
received a database error message. This has
been corrected so that you can now resolve
a ticket immediately after opening it.
Fixed a problem with the login form not displaying correctly
if you had the ActiveDirectoryIntegration setting set to True
and also had the UseNTLoginAuthentication setting set to True.
Since ActiveDirectoryIntegration performs the authentication
the software now just considers UseNTLoginAuthentication as
always False if ActiveDirectoryIntegration is True.
Added ajax-based lookups for the username
fields on new ticket creation, user
re-assignment for a ticket, and user
lookups in the edit user information screen.
You can now type a partial first name, last name,
phone number, or location to lookup users
using an ajax lookup.
Added an AD import option to import only
the specified OUs. This can now be set by
logging in as the TBD user, selecting
Edit Settings from the TBD Options menu, then
specifying the values in the ActiveDirectoryLimitOUs
field.
Updated the dhtml menu controls to a newer version.
This allowed for the adding of the option of dynamically
disabling buttons. This is used to prevent multiple
form submissions when submitting forms, such as when
saving a ticket, saving user details, sending an e-mail, etc.
Fixed the send mail form to use the SendEMail custom
language tag, instead of the hardcoded English "Send".
The MailHelpDeskAccountOnTicketCreationSubject and
MailUserOnTicketCreationSubject language variables can now
use three optional variables: <field:CallLogNumber>,
<field:Priority>, and <field:ProblemItem>. This are useful
for including additional information in the subject line
of the e-mail message that is sent to the help desk account when
a new ticket is created in the user interface.
The popup window for selecting a new timezone now automatically
closes after making the selection to remove any confusion
about whether the setting change was actually made.
Added the ability for user information to be updated in
Active Directory when making changes to user information that
is imported from AD. To turn this option on login as the TBD
user and select Edit Settings from the TBD Options menu
and set the ActiveDirectoryTwoWayUpdates option to TRUE.
File uploads now no longer require a component to be installed
on the IIS computer, thanks to some free upload code by
www.freeaspupload.net.
|
| 9.0 - 9/13/2006 |
Active Directory integration. WN Help Desk Web
can now import information from Active Directory.
The import will create OrgCodes for all OUs found
in Active Directory and will import or update
user account information from Active Directory.
To set these options login as the TBD User and
select Edit Settings from the TBD Options menu.
You will either need to configure IIS to run under
a domain account that has permission to perform
LDAP queries, or you will need to modify your
server to allow anonymous LDAP access. Also,
if the server is not running under a domain
account you will need to specify a username and
password for performing LDAP queries. By far,
the easiest solution is to make sure the website
is running using an account that has permission
to perform the lookups. You can then manually
import the information from Active Directory using
the option under the TBD Options menu and/or
you can specify a refresh interval to have WN
Help Desk Web automatically perform the import at
a specified interval. When using the Active
Directory integration option a new login scheme
will be used that will perform a browser-based
authentication against Active Directory. This
setting overrides the UseNTAuthentication option.
Fixed a problem with the calendar control not
correctly returning dates in non-IE browsers.
Fixed a layout problem in Safari and Firefox.
Adjusted the floating properties of the menus
so they don't take so long to reposition
themselves on the page, especially noticable
on long pages.
Fixed a problem with the URL to view the ticket
details that is generated in an e-mail message
to the user.
Fixed a problem with the UseNTAuthentication
option not working.
Fixed problems in the KnowledgeBase with items
that contain single (') or double (") quotes in
the Problem Category.
Fixed a problem that was preventing maintenance
on an Access MDB file as the application was
maintaining a constant lock on the file. The
application now releases the lock on the MDB file
when the database is not in use.
Upgraded the e-mail HTML editor to a new editor
(tinyMCE) that supports all modern browsers unlike
the old editor that only worked in IE on a PC.
|
| 8.6.1 - 2/11/2006 |
Fixed a problem with query performance. Query results
should now display much quicker than in 8.6.
Fixed a problem in the KnowledgeBase caused by items
that contain a quote in the problem item field.
When viewing the Custom Query screen and selecting the
option to run a query, the window now shifts focus back
to the main window which contains the query results.
Fixed a problem on the menu causing the menu to not
display when a custom query name contained a single quote.
Fixed a problem with the link for a technician e-mail not
correctly finding the ticket when it is clicked.
Fixed a sizing issue on the new assignment window that was
causing the calendar control to not fully display in the window.
Fixed a problem with the optional background image not
displaying properly on all pages.
Removed the duplicate copy of the Manage Assets button from
the main tech page.
Added a new option called RequireDueDatesOnAssignments which
can now be set to False to not require the due date field
to be completed to create a new assignment.
Moved the e-mail template files into the Settings table.
The text-based and html-based e-mail templates can now
be modified from within the interface from the Edit Settings
option under the TBD Options menu. Changes are now immediate
and do not require an application restart to reload the
e-mail template as in previous versions.
When editing a ticket any changes to the ticket are now
saved when adding/editing/deleting files, links, assignments,
and journal entries. Previously, the page would simply be
refreshed and the changes would have been lost if you had
not manually saved before working with one of those item
types.
Menus at the top of the page now float, removing the need
for menus at the top and bottom of the page, as the menus
are now always visible.
Added the ability to hide the KnowledgeBase from the login
page by setting the ShowKnowledgeBaseOnLoginPage option to
False.
Cleaned up the application directory moving the dhtml-menu
and calendar controls into a new controls folder.
|
| 8.6 - 1/25/2006 |
A completely new layout. We have removed the Java menu
system and replaced it with a cross-browser DHTML menu that has
been tested under IE, Opera, and Mozilla on the PC; as
well as IE and Safari on the Mac.
The new layout is all stored in a single file called Layout.asp,
which can easily be modified to rearrange the layout of
WN Help Desk Web to your liking. This requires some knowledge
of HTML, JavaScript, and VBScript, but most users with some
HTML experience will be able to figure out the simple layout
of the new Layout.asp page.
All user and tech pages have been combined into single
ASP pages for performance and code-manageability reasons.
Corrected an error with the run query page that would cause
custom queries with date ranges to not display correctly when
resizing the page size or selecting a different page for the
recordset. The information sent to the querystring is now
encoded to prevent these types of errors when using special
characters in a query (such as the # sign to define dates.)
If you are using the auto-usernumber feature by setting
the varAutoUserNumbers to True in the Constant.asp file, then
a user number will automatically be generated now from the
"Create New Account" option from the login page.
Corrected a problem caused when uploading files which contain
spaces in the filename.
Added the JournalEntries table to the Custom Query, so you can
now search on info stored in journal entries.
Fixed a problem with the registration page that would keep
looping to the login page stating that you must first login as
the TBD user to update the registration. This has now been
fixed and you must now enter the TBD password on the registration
page if the TBD account already has a password set. This prevents
users from changing the registration info without the TBD password.
Employee Directory now uses the text overflow attribute to show
as much information as possible. More info will be shown as the
window size is increased, while less is shown as the window size
is made smaller.
Added the ability for users to add comments to a request once
it is open. Any technicians with an active assignment on the
request will receive an e-mail notifying them that the user has
added a new comment to the request.
Added support for the more-recent MicrosoftSMTP mail option. The
old version is now named MicrosoftSMTPOLD, as it is unlikely that
is used much any more. The new MicrosoftSMTP option uses the newer
"CDO.Message" option for sending mail whereas the MicrosoftSMTPOLD
option uses the older "CDONTS" option for sending mail.
Added support for the ICEWARP mail control from www.icewarp.com.
Fixed a problem with the KnowledgeBase not grouping items correctly
when using the Search function.
When creating a new ticket if you have left the Reported By or
Reported For user blank, the select user dialog will now automatically
popup requesting that information.
Fixed a problem when running Open or Closed tickets for a user
from the user details screen and then resorting the query based
on one of the column headers would cause a no records found
situation.
Replaced the Javascript popup window calendar with a new DHTML
calendar that does not require a new window to open.
|
| 8.5.1 - 3/19/2004 |
Fixed the e-mail links in the ticket details
assignments and journal sections to populate
the TO address with the correct technician info
Fixed a problem with the "login error" screen
which would keep sending you back to that screen
if you have the "remember username and password"
option set for a login and something had changed
with the username or password.
Fixed a problem with the paged recordsets that
would cause the query to reset to "All Tickets"
when clicking one of the page number links.
Fixed a problem with the richedit mail form
that was causing the address fields to reset to
the defaults every time the main message body
was clicked.
Fixed a problem that was causing the Operating
System field in the Edit User Information form
to not display correctly.
|
| 8.5 - 1/30/2004 |
Fixed the "Create New Account" feature from the login
page as the new user account that was created was not
getting the LevelOfProficiency set, which was preventing
the new account from showing up in user lists.
On the RunQuery.asp page the link to edit user
information for the reported by or reported for user
is now disabled for the TBD and Ex-Employee users to
prevent these built-in accounts from being modified.
The option to close and open ticket in the user
interface now requires that the person viewing the
ticket be either the Reported By or Reported For
use. Previously, anyone that could view the ticket
could close the ticket.
When using the Short Entry form in the Tech
interface to create a new request the HoursTilDue
feature on the priorities now sets the due date
and due time for the ticket.
Renamed Constant.inc to Constant.asp, Routines.inc to
Routines.asp, and String.inc to String.asp so these
files can no longer be viewed in the browser by
entering the filename in the URL.
The "Remember username and password on this computer"
feature now works across login sessions. You will
be kept logged on to the computer in question until
you select the logout option, even if the browser
is closed and re-opened.
The Run Query page now uses a paged recordset, so
you can specify the number of records to display per
page. This will greatly enhance the performance
when dealing with large recordsets. The options
for the selection list are specified in the
Constant.asp file as varRecordsPerPageOptions, which
is a comma-separated list of numbers to use in the
selection list for the "records per page" option.
There are no longer subfolders for the Tech and User
files. The "enable parent paths" security setting
in IIS that is disabled by many security updates
was causing problems for many customers, especially
those hosting the software offsite with a third-party
hosting company. This now prevents the software from
using and path-referenced include files.
You can now specify the default priority to use for
creating new tickets by setting the value of the
varDefaultNewTicketPriority variable in the
Constant.asp file. You specify the numerical value
of the priority that you wish to use.
If varMailDefaultFromCanBeModified is set to true
and the currently-logged-in technician has an
e-mail address entered in their user profile, the
from address will now default to the current
technician's e-mail address.
When viewing ticket details and the printable view
of the ticket details you can now view the 9
custom user fields along with the user information.
These fields will only show if there is valid
data in the field for the reported by or reported for
user. To enable this new feature set the new
varShowCustomUserFieldsInRequestView variable in the
Constant.asp file to TRUE.
If the varRequireUserPasswords and varRequireTechPasswords
options in the Constant.asp file are both set to False
then the Password field will not appear on the login form.
The technician e-mail interface now includes a WYSIWYG
(What You See Is What You Get) richtext editor for PC
users running IE. This is done using the richtext control
(richtext.sourceforge.net). For other browsers the
mail interface now includes an HTML preview if the
application is configured for sending mail in the HTML
format.
Custom Asset information is now displayed on the ticket
details and printable view screens if there is information
in any of the fields for the asset selected for the ticket.
Added an option to e-mail all technicians from within
the application. This is always available for the TBD
user, and can be enabled for all other technicians by
setting varAllowAllTechnicianToUseTheEMailAllTechniciansFeature
to True.
Added the ability for users and technicians to attach
files to a ticket. The software supports the saFileUp control
by SoftArtisans (www.softartisans.com) as well as the
aspSmartUpload control by aspSmart (www.aspsmart.com).
Added the ability to hide the Change TimeZone option with a
new variable in the Constant.asp file called varShowTimeZoneOption.
On long forms the buttons are now included at the bottom of
the form, as well as at the top of the form.
Added an option to hide the Asset information when working
with tickets if your company does not use the asset information
in WN Help Desk Web. The new variable in the Constant.asp
file is varShowAssetListInTicketsInterface.
Added an option to hide the address information for users for
companies that do not need to store address info. The new
variable in the Constant.asp file for this setting is
varShowAddressInfoForUsers.
Mandatory fields are now highlighted in a color specified by the
varMandatoryFieldColor and varMandatoryFieldFontColor
variables in the Constant.asp file.
Data validation now requires that a date be entered on an
assignment for the form to be submitted. Previously, leaving
the date field blank would allow the form to post, but the new
assignment would not be created.
In the user interface the priority description is now shown
along with the priority number.
Form focus is now set to a field when forms requiring input
are loaded. Previously, some forms had no field focus
requiring a mouse click in a field to begin input.
The Run Query results window can now automatically refresh,
similar to how the Main Menu refreshes, by setting the value
of seconds between refreshes in the varQueryRefreshSeconds
variable in the Constant.asp file. Set this value to 0 to disable
the automatic refresh.
Added an option per user to block the user from appearing in
the online employee directory. To block a particular user use
the View & Edit User Information screen and check the box
"User Does Not Appear in Employee Directory".
Added an option per user to prevent the user from changing
their password. To block a particular user from changing their
password use the View & Edit User Information screen and
check the box "User Cannot Change Password".
Added the ability for a technician to add links to the details
of a ticket. This new option is enabled by setting the
varAllowTechsToAddLinks option to True in the Constant.asp file.
The links will be displayed in the tech and user interfaces
allowing users to click on those links to visit sites, send
e-mail, view files, etc., to assist in helping your users.
|
| 8.0.3 - 5/22/2003 |
Fixed the Solution Description drop-down list on the
NewRequest.asp page, which was not populating
correctly when using the short entry form.
Fixed an error that could be caused when a technician
tried to update a ticket with a solution classification
if they did not have permission to edit the closed
date and time fields.
On the RequestItem.asp page, the links for editing
Problem Category, Solution Class, Asset ID, and
Priority now open up a popup window just like the
navigation menu does, instead of changing the form
focus to a new page.
Added an option to include the link in an e-mail
message at the top or bottom of the message.
Added a new field option called to
the EMailTemplate.html and EMailTemplate.txt files.
This now determines where a link to the item will
be placed in an e-mail to a user or technician
when clicking on the e-mail icon from the ticket
details form.
Added a search option to the KnowledgeBase to filter
the KnowledgeBase items based on the keyword entered
in the search field.
Added a "check for update" option to the TBD menu.
Added a variable called varMailToHelpDeskIncludesLinkToItem
to the Constant.inc file so you can now specify whether
a link is included in the e-mail message sent to the
help desk notification account when a user creates a
new ticket in the user interface. This is separate now
from the option to include a link in the automated e-mail
that will be sent to the user that created the ticket.
Re-run Last Query now remembers the sort order that was
in use.
When a user creates a ticket in the user interface, the
e-mail sent to the user who created the ticket, as well
as to the help desk and the assigned tech, now includes
the reported by and reported for names as well as the
e-mail addresses for the reported by and reported for
users.
|
| 8.0.2 - 3/14/2003 |
Fixed a problem with the varQueryBaseDistinct variable
in the Constant.inc file to correct a query error when
sorting by Reported By or Reported For while viewing
the list of tickets for a query.
Fixed a problem with the query export function that
was causing a recordset error during export.
Fixed a problem with the new request form in the Tech
interface that was causing the form to ignore the date
and time entered during the first step of the ticket
creation process.
Fixed the links for editing user information on the
ticket details page. The reported by and reported
for user links were both opening the reported for
user details.
The technician new ticket entry form can now be used
as a single-step entry form, or the longer two-step
entry form. The two-step form provides more control
for due dates and for assigning an asset during the
ticket creation process, while the new single-step
entry form makes ticket creation quicker and easier.
Added an option to duplicate a ticket. The main
ticket information will be copied to the new ticket.
An assignment will be created for the technician that
duplicated the ticket and a journal entry will be
created to show that the ticket was created by the
current technician and that the ticket is a duplicate
of another ticket.
Added an option to specify the default sort order when
running a query. Before, the default was always the
CallTaken field. You can now specify the default in the
Constant.inc file.
When sorting queries by reported by or reported for the
columns now sort on last name then first name instead of
sorting on the unique employee number as in previous
versions of the software.
Moved the TBD-specific menu options to a top-level menu
instead of being located under the Miscellaneous menu.
Added an option to close any unresolved TBD assignments
on a ticket when creating a new assignment for another
technician. This basically allows you to "re-assign"
a ticket that is assigned to the TBD account in one
step.
Added an option to clear the body of an e-mail message
so that you can add your own text when sending an e-mail
update to a user or technician.
The form used to prompt for information when running
a query is now centered on the screen.
When viewing a list of tickets matching a query, if a
ticket has a date entered but no time entered for a
field (such as Work Started) the date will now be
displayed without the time. Likewise, if a time is
entered but no date is entered the time will now be
displayed. Previously, the date and time had to be
entered for the information to be displayed in the
query list.
If the application starts up using a fresh backend database
some default values will now be created for the ProblemItem,
PriorityRatings, and SolutionClassification tables. This
is done to prevent errors when using the application when
no data has been added to these required tables.
|
| 8.0.1 - 1/3/2003 |
Fixed a minor problem with the custom fields not being centered below
the rest of the ticket details when viewing a ticket.
Fixed a problem that would occur when trying to update the Application
Options while logged in as the TBD user if an item in the ProblemItems
contained an apostrophe (').
The user list for TBD now includes all users, even those marked as
Ex-Employee, so that TBD can still update those accounts.
|
| 8.0 - 11/15/2002 |
Why the big jump in version numbers? For some time it has been
our goal to make the feature set in WN Help Desk and WN Help
Desk Web identical. Since both products now have virtually the
exact same feature set, and to keep the versions as well as the
required DataConverter and ETG versions in sync, we have
decided to bring the application family versions in sync with
version 8.0.
Fixed a problem with the Asset Management module that would occur
if the AssetID was not a numeric value.
Fixed the Application Options form to actually save the information
to the database to be used for future sessions.
Fixed a problem allowing a user to close a ticket by entering the
closed date and time even if they didn't have the ability to close
open tickets. Also, you cannot enter a closed date and time if
there are unresolved assignments on the ticket.
Fixed a problem with the custom request fields not being saved
during the creation of a new ticket.
Fixed a problem with deleting a technician account where the
assignments were not being reassigned to the TBD user.
Implemented the JournalEntries table which allows for multiple
technicians to make multiple journal entries on a single ticket
to account for the work they have done and the time they have
spent working on the ticket.
Implemented the Assignments table which allows for mutliple
technician assignments on the same ticket.
Added an option in the Constant.inc file to specify the default
technician assignment for a new ticket. Instead of defaulting
to the TBD account, you can have any technician account be
the default assignment queue.
Added an option to restrict the way a user can report a ticket
for another user. You can now specify that users can only
report tickets for themselves, that they can report tickets for
any other user with the same OrgCode, or they can report
tickets for any user.
Added an autonumbering option for creating new AssetID's.
Added the same autonumbering option for unique employee
ID's that exists in the WN Help Desk application.
Added an option to prevent users from changing their OrgCode
if they have the permission to view all tickets for users in their
OrgCode. This option can be turned on or off in the Constant.inc
file.
Added color coding for open and closed tickets in the request
list view. This is the listing of tickets that is displayed when you
run a query.
Added color coding for overdue tickets in the request list view.
Requests with a due date that has already passed will be
highlighted in that color.
Fixed a problem that was causing a mail failure error when
using the aspEMail control, even if the mail was sent.
Added an option for the TBD user to create Global Queries which
are available for any technician. Only the TBD user can edit a
Global Query.
Added the option to use some common variables in a Custom
Query. You can now replace the currently-logged-in technician
with {variable:tech}, the current date with {variable:date} and
the current time with {variable:time}. These are in addition to
the use of prompts with the {prompt:Prompt Text} option and
can be combined with a prompted query. These work well for
Global Queries that are available to all technicians when using
the {variable:tech} option to make the query work for the
current technician.
Included the {prompt} and {variable} options in the data
field list in the Custom Query builder for easier insertion into
Custom Queries.
The lookup field on the Main Menu of the technician interface
can now be used as a keyword search in addition to being used
to lookup a specific ticket number.
Fixed the Last Query option so that the application does not
prompt for information that has already been entered. So,
if you are using a query that asks you to fill in information before
running the query you will not be asked for the information again
when you use the option to re-run the last query. If you wish
to be prompted to fill in the information again you will need to
run the saved query that prompts for the information.
The optional background image is now displayed on the User
Lookup, Custom Query, Date Pick, Change Password,
Change Time Zone, User Online Help, and New User pages.
Added an E-Mail Template file to the root of the application
directory that is used to specify the layout of the Subject and
Body of e-mail message sent when clicking on the e-mail
icons while viewing the details of a ticket. You can customize
the fields and text included in the subject and body of the
e-mail message by modifying the EMailTemplate.txt file or
the EMailTemplate.html file, depending upon whether or not
you have the varMailServerUseHTML option in the Constant.inc
file set to True or False.
Added a DefaultAssignment field to each ProblemItem so you
can specify a technician that receives the assignment by
default for each type of ProblemItem. If not filled in then
the assignment defaults to the varDefaultAssignTech setting
in the Constant.inc file, or the TBD user if the default tech
is not assigned. Only the TBD user can login and change the
default assignments for each problem item.
Added an option to create a new Journal Entry while resolving
the last assignment on a ticket. This is useful when you wish
to close a ticket and create a new Journal Entry to account
for the work you did to close the ticket at the same time.
Previously, you would have had to create the new Journal
Entry, then resolve the last assignment.
Added support for the features of the supported ActiveX
controls for sending SMTP mail that allow sending as HTML
and specifying a username and password when required
for authentication to the SMTP server.
When a user creates a ticket and selects a technician
other than the TBD user, or when a technician other than
TBD is assigned automatically due to a default technician
assignment, that technician will now receive an e-mail
notification just like the user. For this to work the e-mail
functions must be working on the server and the tech
must have an e-mail address entered in their user
account details.
Added an option to restrict the employee directory from
being displayed separately in the user and tech interfaces.
Added an option for the TBD user to login and restrict the
OrgCodes that a specific help desk technician is allowed to
support. This is useful for a help desk where certain technicians
only support certain groups of users. You check the OrgCodes
that the technician can support. The technician will then only
be able to create tickets for those users in those OrgCodes.
Also, a technician will only be able to view ticket details for
a ticket where they already have an assignment on the ticket,
or where the Reported By or Reported For user is in one of
their supported OrgCodes. The employee directory and
user lookup forms are also restricted to those users in those
selected OrgCodes for technicians that have this option set.
When users create a request in the user interface and the
option is turned on to allow users to select a technician, they
will only see technicians that are not restricted to only supporting
certain OrgCodes, as well as technicians that are enabled for
supporting their OrgCode. Technicians that are restricted and
are not enabled for supporting that particular customers
OrgCode will not show in the technician list.
Added an option to allow users to close tickets in the user
interface. If this option is enabled a user can close any
ticket that they are authorized to view. An e-mail will
be sent to the default helpdesk notification account, the
ticket will be closed with a resolution of closed by user,
and all assignments will be resolved with the note stating
the ticket was closed by the user.
|
| 3.9 - 2/22/2002 |
The Asset Management module has been updated to improve performance
when accessing a large asset database.
Added the 4 custom fields from the HelpRequests table to the new
request form and the request details form. These fields can be turned
on optionally in the Constant.inc file. Each field can be shown as
either a single-line or multi-line entry field. Also, added a separate
option to show these fields in the customer interface for use in
creating new tickets.
Fixed a problem causing a login error when attempting to access the
KnowledgeBase from the top menu in the User interface.
Added the UserName field to the Custom Query builder.
Added an option to disable the employee directory on the login page.
The option to show the employee directory within the application and
on the login page are now separate options in the Constant.inc file.
Removed the table border on the Custom Query builder. It had been
added for debugging and was meant to be removed before release. The
border was causing the buttons to start to go off the bottom of the
form.
Moved the administrative options for TBD-only to a submenu on the
Miscellaneous menu. Added an option for the TBD user to force
a restart of the application, which loads all initial variables
as if the application were initially starting. Should not terminate
any active user connections, but will reload application-level
variables.
Corrected the Browse Field Data option in the Custom Query builder
to support Netscape.
Removed two old links from the Main Menu in the tech interface that
were for the old MyItems.asp and Unassigned.asp files.
Added the ability to export custom queries to a CSV file from the
Custom Query interface.
Fixed a problem with deleting custom queries that contain a single
quote in the query name (example: Joe's Tickets).
Enhanced the Startup of the application to provide better error
handling in the event of database or registration errors during
the initial startup process.
Added the option to set the ReportedBy user when creating a new
request in the Technician interface. The value defaults to the
current technician, but can be reassigned if you are simply entering
a ticket for another user that is reporting a problem for a different
user.
Added a button to re-open a closed ticket. This button appears
where the Close Ticket button appears on an open ticket. The button
simply removes the entry from the Solution Class field and clears the
Closed date and time then saves the ticket to the database.
|
| 3.8 - 1/1/2002 |
Fixed an error caused by queries that contained an ORDER BY statement.
The Assigned To list of technicians on a request was not sorting
alphabetically. The list is now sorted.
You can now customize which fields are displayed on the RunQuery.asp page
by modifying the options in the Constant.inc file.
The OrgCode and Admin fields can now be included in the Custom Query builder.
This allows queries to be built to find all tickets for a particular OrgCode
or Admin.
The EmployeeNumber, ReportedBy, OrgCode, and AssetID fields now show more
detailed information in the Browse Field Data function. Although the
query is still built using the field value, the display information includes
more useful information such as Last and First Name for the EmployeeNumber
and ReportedBy fields.
When a Custom Query fails the validate query option you now see the error
message returned by the database. This is useful in determining why the
query failed.
The option to show the priority description along with the
priority number in the requests list can now be turned on
or off in the Constant.inc file.
When a customer creates a new ticket in the user interface for another
customer, the e-mail notification is now sent to both customers.
Added an option to toggle between the new Main Menu view to match the
WN Help Desk application and the classic view of the older WN Help Desk Web.
The application no longer appends periods to the end of text fields that
do not contain punctuation (an annoying feature leftover from older versions.)
Added the option to prompt for information in custom
queries. You can use prompts to create re-usable custom
queries that can be used to find information for different
users, technicians, priorities, date ranges, etc. Some
sample prompt queries are now created when creating the
sample queries from the select query page.
|
| 3.7 - 10/23/2001 |
Replaced the JavaScript menus with a Java menu component that can cross over
form elements without problems. The Java menu also loads quicker and requires
less resources than the JavaScript menus.
The ReportedBy field is now active. So, users can now submit a ticket either
for themselves or for another user. Also, when they view their tickets they see
tickets where they were either the reported-by or reported-for person on the ticket.
Also updated the tech pages so that the two fields can be modified.
Request listings now show the description of a priority as well as the priority
rating number.
The request listing can now be sorted by any of the column headers by clicking
on that column header.
Added a Custom Query builder as exists in the WN Help Desk software. This allows
the use of custom queries built in either version to work in either interface.
You can view, edit, delete, add, and run custom queries now.
The look of the main menu has been changed to duplicate the same look and feel
as found in the WN Help Desk software, providing a more standard interface
between the applications.
Asset Management and Database Options are now in a popup window.
|
| 3.6 - 8/11/2001 |
Fixed the KnowledgeBase so that extremely large listings on the left-side of the window
will not scroll back to the top each time an item is selected.
Fixed a problem causing new tickets to automatically be created with a TimeSpent of zero.
This was causing the close ticket function to not calculate the hours open on the ticket
since the field already contained a value.
Fixed a problem with the KnowledgeBase that was causing records not to show correctly
when using an SQL backend database.
Fixed a Netscape JavaScript problem with the View & Edit User Information feature.
Added support for aspEMail ActiveX control.
Added an option to allow users to create their own new accounts from the Login screen.
When adding assets in the Asset Management module the form continues to add new assets now, instead
of returning to the asset list. Since the asset list can be slow to load for large asset databases
this speeds up the function of adding new assets, as you can always return to the form to manage
assets by selecting the menu item for that function.
Added an option to allow users to cache their username and password so it does not have to be
re-typed at the login screen every time.
Added an option to allow users to report an asset when submitting a new request. If the asset
is assigned to the user, or marked as public, it will be available when creating the new
request. This option can be enabled or disabled by changing the setting in the Constant.inc file.
Added an option to display additional login text below the username and password box on the
login page. If the option to allow users to remember their username and password is enabled then
the text will appear just below that checkbox and text.
When updating a ticket a message box is displayed confirming that the ticket information has been
updated. This message box is now an option that can be enabled to disabled in the Constant.inc file.
The Further Info field is now optional and not required for the user or the tech to create a ticket.
Added an AutoLogin feature. If the AutoLogin variable is enabled the
application will attempt to log the user in first checking the AUTH_USER
variable to see if the browser authentication has already been set. If
that is not set it will check to see if a Session("UserName") variable
has already been set by some other means. If either of those are set
the application redirects to the new AutoLogin.asp page to fill in
any remaining information that has not already been set. See the AutoLogin.asp
page for options on using this feature and for a list of optional
session variables that can be set.
Added the four custom fields from the Assets table to the Asset Management
form. The labels for these fields can be modified by changing the text
in the Constant.inc file. The fields are optional text fields that can
be used to store proprietary asset information.
Added a database troubleshooting page to answer the most common questions
asked when having trouble with the database environment. Previous versions
redirected to a page that stated your database needs to be updated to the
most-recent format. However, any database error could cause the browser
to redirect to that page during login. The most-common database configuration
problems are now explained on that page, which attempts to guide you
through troubleshooting common configuration problems.
|
| 3.5.1 - 3/9/2001 |
Fixed the KnowledgeBase left and right panes so they now show scrollbars if the information
does not fit entirely in the pane.
Fixed the due date and due time calculation on a new request. Previously, the due date
and due time were being calculated initially based on the time on the server. This is
now adjusted for the time zone of the currently-logged-in technician so that the due date
and due time are appropriate for the time zone that you are in.
Fixed a problem that caused the username to still include the Domain name when using
NT authentication if the user entered their username as "Domain\Username". The Domain
and slash are now removed.
Fixed a problem with the KnowledgeBase not displaying correctly under Netscape if the
ProblemItem categorizing the KnowledgeBase item contained a space.
Fixed a problem with the user lookup form under Netscape that caused an error when the
information being returned contained spaces.
Fixed a problem in the Database Options forms that would occur if the value being edited
contained single quotes. The JavaScript routines have been updated to use full quotes
around the values for that page.
Fixed a problem with the request list in the User interface that would cause the ticket
details to not be displayed correctly with an error being returned from the server.
Added the option to set the default highlight color to the Constant.inc file. This color is
used for pages that do not use the sytlesheet file, such as the JavaScript menus, the
about box, etc.
Added the server time zone setting after times that are included in e-mail updates since
the customer may not be in the same time zone and the times may not appear to be
correct for them.
|
| 3.5 - 2/15/2001 |
Semi-major release! No change to the data format from version 3.0. However,
this represents a major improvement in the application.
Employee directory is now a popup window, and is available from the
login screen, the user interface, and the technician interface.
Change password function is now a popup window.
Forms for adding users and editing user information are now in a popup window.
Forms for working with help desk technicians are now in a popup window.
Added the ability to delete an asset.
Added support for aspSmartMail, a free ActiveX control for sending mail
from an ASP application.
Added support for aspMail.
The JavaScript menus are now activated by a click, instead of on the
MouseOver event. This makes the menu function more like a standard windows
menu and prevents the menu from opening by simply moving the mouse over the menu.
Several of the multi-step pages have been combined into single ASP pages.
This reduces the overall amount of ASP pages needed and makes issuing fixes to
specific modules much easier in the future.
The application is now more Mac-friendly using the Macintosh version of IE.
Fixed a problem that was causing systems running non-US date formats
to not correctly display all tickets when selecting the Show All Dates
option from a query.
Fixed a problem that caused an error when a technician without the
permissions to modify database information attempted to open the Database menu.
Added the ability for a help desk technician to use the user interface.
This allows a help desk technician to also be able to log tickets for themselves
and track the progress of the tickets where they are the person reporting the
problem and not the person solving the problem.
Fixed a problem that could be caused by a KnowledgeBase article
containing HTML or JavaScript in the contents of the article. The information
is now HTMLEncoded to prevent this from occuring.
Added a "Printable View" option for the technician to be able to
print the ticket.
Corrected a problem with the Further Information field not being included
in the e-mail updates.
Added an option to disable the ability for a user to change their password.
Added some dynamic styles to prevent the JavaScript menus from "hiding"
behind form items. The form items causing the problems are now hidden while
the menu is active.
Added the ability to send e-mail updates to multiple-recipients by
using a semi-colon (;) to separate the recipients.
Included all dates and times, and added more sorting options, to
the query results list.
Added the option to use NT authentication instead of integrated login.
Added the option to display dates and times in an offset from the
time on the server. The server time zone is set in the Constant.inc file,
along with a default time zone for users using this feature for the first
time. The user can then adjust the time zone from the main menu and any
dates and times will be displayed in their time zone. The HoursTilDue is
also calculated based on the date and time in their time zone so that the
business day rules apply for their local time instead of the time on the
server. The time zone list can be customized following the rules listed
in the main menu code so that you can setup the location list to be specific
to your company.
Modified the main menu to include the count of records for the
currently-logged-in technician and for the TBD account next to those menu
items instead of at the bottom of the menu. Also, moved the Find Ticket ID
field into the main menu reducing the amount of screen space needed to
display the entire main menu.
When a ticket is updated and the Work Started date is not filled
in the date and time are now automatically filled in with the current
date and time.
|
| 3.0 - 6/29/2000 |
Added the ability to use a Microsoft SQL backend database.
Corrected an error that would occur when a technician did not have permission
to modify the help desk options and the mouse was moved over the Database menu item.
Corrected a problem that would cause an error when more than 75 characters were
entered in the Short Description field of a new ticket. The field length has been increased
to 255 characters and the form now limits the input to 255 characters.
Added the option to send mail using an Exchange Server, even if the Exchange Server
is running on a remote server, by using the CDOMail control.
Added the "Rerun Last Query" option back into the software.
|
| 2.1 - 11/12/1999 |
E-Mail - When sending a status e-mail or a closed ticket e-mail, the user's
name is now included in the body of the message. You can now also send an e-mail
to the user directly after creating a ticket. There is also an option to send an
e-mail to the technician assigned to the ticket. Another new e-mail option
automatically sends a confirmation message to the user after they create a new
ticket using the web interface. Also, another option has been added to
automatically generate an e-mail message for the technician when the assigned
technician changes. Also added an option to disable the ability to modify the
default From address used when generating e-mail messages.
Advanced Query - Added more query options. You can now search by Org Code.
Also, corrected a problem when ordering by Org Code so that the name of the Org Code
is now being displayed instead of the internal code name.
Directory - Removed the TBD and Ex-Employee users from the Directory page.
Login Problem - Corrected a problem preventing users with an apostrophe in
their username from logging in.
Security Fix - Corrected a problem that allowed a technician to edit user
info from the ticket details page, even if that option was disabled from any of
the other menus.
Automated Login - Added the ability to automatically login by passing the
Username and Password to the Authenticate.asp page. To use this feature simply
add the options to the end of the page name
(i.e. Authenticate.asp?Username=johndoe&Password=123456.) You can then bookmark
that link or create a desktop shortcut to allow a user to login without
typing their username and password.
Changed the text on the "Reassign to" button to "Reassign user" to help
eliminate confusion between the assigned technician and the user that the ticket is for.
Included the user's phone number and location on the ticket details page
with the user's name.
International Dates - Added more date format support. You can now use
any of 8 different date formats. The following formats are all valid for
December 31, 1999; 12/31/99, 12/31/1999, 31/12/99, 31/12/1999, 99/12/31,
1999/12/13, 99/31/12, 1999/31/12. Also you can now use a '/', '-', or '.' as
the date separator.
Logo Link - There is now an option to use the optional logo at the top of
the page as a link. You can specify the URL for the link and the mouseover text that
is displayed when a user holds their mouse over the logo.
Documented Constant.inc File - The Constant.inc option file now includes a
description of each of the options. This should help assist with the customization
of the features of WN Help Desk Web.
|
| 2.0 - 6/28/1999 |
Asset Management - Track information about assets. This can be any equipment
that you wish to include in your support system such as computers, monitors, phones,
furniture; whatever you track in your industry. Assets can be associated with an
individual user and can also be counted as public assets, available to any user.
When creating a new help request you can select the asset items that are associated
with the customer you are taking the request for, as well as any assets that are
considered public. This will allow you to not only track requests based on the
customer, but also on the individual equipment the customer is reporting the
request for.
Knowledge Base - You can now build a knowledge base using the information
stored in your help requests. By marking the request as a 'Common Problem and
Solution,' you can add the information from the request to your knowledge base.
Using the knowledge base technicians, can look for previous requests that may hold
the solution to the request they are currently working on. Some uses of the knowledge
base could be:
- Software Install Instructions
- Troubleshooting Common Problems
- Policies and Procedures
Custom Work Schedule - In the previous version of WN Help Desk, the hours that a
request was open can be automatically calculated when the request is closed.
However, those hours are based on the difference in hours between the time the
request was open and the time the request is being closed. The only option was
whether or not to include weekends when calculating the time. The new version allows
you to specify which days of the week are considered work days and what the work
hours are. Also, there is a table that holds exclusion dates which can be used to
keep track of holidays. When closing a request, the hours open is now calculated as
the time between when the request was open and when the request is being closed,
including all work hours in between the two times and excluding non-work days and
holidays.
Due Dates Based on Priority (SLA's, Service Level Agreements) - The new
version will allow different priority levels to have different due times. By
specifying the 'hours til due' for a priority new requests created with that priority
will now be assigned a due date and due time based on the time the request was
created. This will allow you to track your performance on your service level
agreements with your customers. For example, a priority 1 request may be due in
4 hours, a priority 2 request in 8 hours, and a project request may not have a due date.
Enhanced Security - This version of the software also includes more security
options for each help desk technician. These new features will allow you to specify
which fields on an open request that a help desk technician can modify, whether a
technician can modify a request that has been closed, etc.
Custom User Fields - Added nine custom fields for storing additional
information about your customers.
Enhanced Ticket Numbering - In previous versions, ticket numbers were
generated based on either the count of tickets in the database, or on the
AutoNumbered ID created by Access. In this version there is now a table for
holding the Ticket Number. When a new request is created the ticket number from
the table is used, then the number is incremented by 1 and stored back in the table.
This allows greater flexibility in generating ticket numbers. The number can be
reset at any time.
Data File Redesigned - The data file used for both WN Help Desk and WN Help
Desk Web has been redesigned for portability to other database servers. All spaces
have been removed from table and field names. The data file can now be easily
ported to SQL Server and the System DSN for the WN Help Desk Web application can
be modified to point to the SQL Server.
Close Ticket Button - Added a Close Ticket button to the request form. This
function calculates the Hours Spent on the request based on the work schedule that
has been established. Also, with the E-Mail option enabled this will generate an
E-Mail for the user.
SMTP Mail Support - Added support for 2 main SMTP applications. You can
either configure the built-in Microsoft SMTP service that is part of Microsoft
Internet Information Server, or you can use the shareware application
SimpleMail by Adiscon GmbH.
The SimpleMail application is much easier to configure that the Microsoft SMTP
service. Simply download the application from the Adiscon website, move the
file SimpleMail.dll to the System32 directory, and run the install.bat file.
The only other required step to configure the SimpleMail service is to modify the
varMailServer variable in the Constant.inc file to reference your SMTP server.
This can either be the IP address of the server or a DNS name for the server. The
application will first attempt to send via the Microsoft SMTP service. If that
service is not installed, then it will try and send via the SimpleMail service.
If both fail, then a message is displayed that the SMTP services are not configured
on the server. If a send is succesfull, a Mail Sent message is displayed.
Employee Directory - Added an optional Employee Directory to the login page.
Clicking on the Employee Directory will allow visitors to your site to view your
directory information. This option can be enabled or disabled by a setting in the
Constant.inc file.
Query Count - Included a count of requests displayed when running a query to
display requests.
Open Requests Stats - Included a status on the Main Menu of how many open
requests the currently-logged-in technician has, as well as how many open requests
are assigned to the TBD (To Be Decided) account. This page automatically refreshes
at an interval specified by an option in the Constant.inc file.
New Request Alert - Added an alert message from the Main Menu when the count
of open requests displayed on the Main Menu increases. This will alert the technician
that a new request has been assigned.
JavaScript Menus - Menus are now available at the top of every page. This
allows for greater navigation within the application. The menu code is provided
using the free Netscape menu.js file for enhanced compatibility with both Internet
Explorer and Netscape. Menus are available for both the user and tech versions.
Menus can be turned on or off using an option in the Constant.inc file.
More linking Between Functions - More linking has been added between functions
for ease of use. For example, when viewing a list of requests or when viewing a
request item, you can click on the username to edit the details for that user. Also,
many functions record where they came from to return back to the original location.
For example, when viewing the details of a request you can click on the Mail icon
next to the username to send a message to the user. Once the message has been sent
the application automatically returns to the request details page. Watch for more of
these features in future versions of the software!
Option to delete users and technicians - This version of the software now
has the ability to delete user accounts and technician accounts. To delete a
technician, choose the Help Desk Staff Information option, select the technician
to bring up the account details, then click the Delete Technician button. You will
then be prompted to confirm the deletion. After confirming the deletion the account
will be deleted. To delete a user account, choose the View and Edit User
Information option, select the user and bring up their account information, then
click the Delete User button. Again, after confirming the deletion the account will
be deleted. Any requests that were associated with that user will be reassociated
with the Ex-Employee user account and a note will be made in the ticket that the
user account was deleted and what the user's name was.
Optional user list details - The ability to view the additional user details
in the drop-down user lists is now an option. For very large user lists, this can
increase the time needed to load the page. The detailed user lists can be turned on
or off with an option in the Constant.inc file.
Noted New Text and Variables - For customers that have modified the
Constant.inc file to change text labels or application settings, the new Constant.inc
file now shows which items are new to this version. Also, a difference file will
be available from the WN Help Desk Web area of the Registered Users site. The
difference file will contain only the new text labels and variables from this version.
|
| 1.5 - 2/5/1999 |
Many customers were having problems with the EnCrypt2.ocx ActiveX control not
registering on their system. I had contacted the vendor, but did not receive much
assistance. In this version of the software the control has been removed.
Password encryption is now handled by a very strong one-way hash encryption routine
that has no unencrypt function available.
Added an option to search for a request by Ticket Number directly from the Main
Menu of the technician interface.
When viewing details on a request, there is now an option to re-run the previous
query. This allows you to go back to the last query without first going to the Main
Menu and performing the same query again.
The Ticket Number is now displayed for the technician after submitting a new request.
Fixed a problem in the code that was preventing the addition of a new technician
through the web interface.
Added an option from the Main Menu to view unassigned requests (i.e. requests that
are assigned to the TBD account.)
Added an option to the query page that allows you to specify the sort order for the
query.
|
| 1.4 - 1/13/1999 |
Corrected a problem causing some of the list boxes to always fill with the
first name in the list.
Fixed a problem causing tickets that are assigned to a technician not to show up
when using the My Open option from the Main Menu.
Added the Priority field to the ticket list and sorted the list by Priority then
by Date Opened.
Corrected a problem with the help desk technician security options not functioning
correctly on some user's systems. This was due to an old database updater program
that converted the field that stores that information to the wrong data type. A
new updater has been included which corrects this problem.
|
| 1.3 - 1/7/1999 |
Added many code changes to support the JavaScript differences between IE and
Netscape. Although the navigation and online help features now work under Netscape,
they do not allow you to use the Back button in the browser to go back to the
previous page. For the best performance, it is still recommended that you use IE
to navigate the application.
Corrected problems with the information in the drop down lists not filling in
correctly under Netscape.
Added the option to add a new user from the log new help request page.
Added a new option (set in the constant.inc file) to remove the password requirements
for logging in. This option can be set independantly for either the users or the
technicians.
|
| 1.2 - 12/22/1998 |
Removed the DateValue function from the new request post. This function was not
supported on some configurations of IIS and caused an ASP error. The function has
since been removed and only the Date function is now used.
Added the Online Help feature for the user version of the software. The help file
can be customized to provide specific information for your site.
Added the ability to delete a ticket from the help desk system.
|
| 1.1 - 12/15/1998 |
Moved all the Custom Style Sheet formatting to the same style sheet to reduce the
need to maintain multiple style sheets.
Added the ability to set a background image to the site using the style sheet.
Added an option to display an image file at the top of the page. The file can either
be left-, center-, or right-justified and can be enabled or disabled for the Client
version and the Technician version independently.
|
| 1.0 - 11/30/1998 |
Initial release to demonstrate new features and elicit customer feedback.
|
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