What's new in version 15.5 - November 2014
This topic lists the additions and improvements incorporated in InfoAsset Mobile version 15.0 which were not available in previous versions.
Please note that this new version also includes various enhancements and bug fixes that are not described in detail here.
General
Scheduling improvements - resource management
Resource management is now supported in InfoAsset Mobile with the introduction of scheduler notes. Scheduler notes are activities visible on the Scheduler, that are very similar to Outlook appointments in that they apply to resources and allow users to know the availability of others. By using scheduler notes it is possible to block out days or times when resources are unavailable due to holiday, sickness, or any user-defined activity category.
Scheduler notes are configured in the Scheduler Note Editor against one or more resources over a period of time with a subject (mandatory) and note. A category is assigned to each note. This category can be built-in or user-defined. There are two types of categories - reports categories and notes categories. Only Administrators and System Administrators can create or edit categories. Categories are created and edited in the Scheduler Categories dialog. This dialog is accessed from the Application dialog, via the new SchedulerCategories property or via the Scheduler context menu.
To prevent users from scheduling a new task to someone on a day when they are unavailable, the Allow reports to be allocated over this period? option has been added to every note and its default state is to be disabled. As a result whenever a user tries to allocate a report to the resource(s) for the period covering the note, a warning message is displayed letting the user know about the restriction. At this stage, it is possible to overrule the restriction by selecting Ignore on the warning dialog.
Please note that note restriction functionality does not apply to notes for which Allow reports to be allocated over this period? is enabled and to reports created or edited in InfoAsset Manager.
As part of this new functionality the following enhancements have been implemented:
- A Synchronize notes menu item has been added to the Reports menu and the main toolbar to allow users to synchronize notes. This is particularly useful when notes have been added by other users but are not yet available to all users.
- A Rebuild Scheduler Notes button is now available on the Cache Sub-Page of the Application page of the Options dialog.
Asset network and user defined object support
InfoAsset Mobile now supports the new InfoAsset Manager asset network type. Asset networks are minimal network models intended to allow InfoAsset Manager users to use some of the existing network objects (such as zones and work packages) along with their own asset data model. A whole new set of network object definitions are available so that user defined objects can be managed as easily as collection system or distribution system objects. The use of user defined objects / tasks has been extended to collection and distribution system networks, making the modelling of these networks more flexible and customisable.
The Designer now contains a new toolbox, the Asset toolbox. Items within this Toolbox relate specifically to InfoAsset Manager Asset system tables and are included in a form in exactly the same way as other toolbox items.
User defined tasks are available from the toolbox they relate to (Collection, Distribution or Asset) and they too are added to a form in the same way as built-in InfoAsset Manager objects.
Whenever user defined objects are added or modified in InfoAsset Manager, InfoAsset Mobile Administrators and System Administrators must invoke the new Export User Defined Objects from InfoAsset Manager command action available on the Server Management dialog so that user defined objects are exported from InfoAsset Manager and the relevant toolboxes are updated and built on the server. The new Check for updated toolbox option from the Forms menu then allows InfoAsset Mobile toolboxes to be locally (on the PC) updated from the server.
It is important to note that the InfoAsset Manager licensing options have been rationalised as part of this new functionality. The InfoAsset Suite licence is required for the use of asset networks and user defined objects in InfoAsset Manager. Please refer to the InfoAsset Manager help for more information.
EU and NZWWA CCTV standards supported
InfoAsset Mobile now supports the EU (European Union) and MZWWA (New Zealand Water and Wastes Association) standards for CCTV surveys. The standard used in InfoAsset Mobile comes from InfoAsset Manager.
If the standard used is changed in InfoAsset Manager for a collection network, it is necessary to carry out one of the following tasks to get the information about the standards out into the Mobile Server SQL database:
- In InfoAsset Manager - edit CCTV surveys, or
- In InfoAsset Mobile - upload CCTV survey reports to the server
Then, in order for the choice list data to reflect the changes, InfoAsset Mobile users have to manually export choice list data into InfoAsset Mobile from the Server. This is done by invoking the Refresh Dynamic Data functionality available in the Files subpage of the Options dialog. This will insure that the changes are picked up in InfoAsset Mobile.
Application
Ability to show / hide data relating to the date reports are completed / resolved
It is now possible to switch on and off the display of the completed/resolved date report field in InfoAsset Mobile. This functionality is available on a per application basis. A ShowCompletedResolvedDate property has been added to the Application dialog. When this property is enabled:
- A Completed/Resolved date column is automatically added to the Completed tab. The Completed tab View and context menu are adjusted to take this date into account via the new Group by | Completed/Resolved date option.
- The Completed/Resolved field is automatically added as a filter to the Search tab and as a date type to the Download Reports dialog to allow users to carry out searches on report completed/resolved dates. As part of these enhancements, the following changes have been made to the Search tab and the Download Reports dialog:
- The dates have been removed from the Schedule tab (if visible). Dates are now exclusively selected in the Date tab (see bullet point below).
- The Last Saved Date tab has been renamed to Date and a Type dropdown list added to allow a choice of date types (Completed / Resolved date, Last saved and Scheduled) to be searched on.
Tip The Group By functionality is still linked between the Saved and Completed tabs with the exception of the Completed/Resolved date option. If this option is selected, the view on the Saved tab will remain as per the previous grouping setting. Any other option will change the view on both tabs.
Similar updates have been applied to the custom filters that allow users to customise the interface when viewing reports. The Dates tab of the Setup Filter dialog has undergone the following changes:
- The individual From / To sections of the Last Saved Date and Scheduled Date sections have been merged into one.
- The date range selected in From / To will now apply to the date type selected in the Type dropdown list that has been added to the Dates tab.
Reports
Improvements to report searching and downloading
The <All> option has been added to the Form dropdown list of the Search tab and the Download Reports dialog to allow users to search for reports for all the forms that are available in the current application.
This can prove useful when searching for reports referencing the same work package or work package type for example. Please note that this can potentially return a large numbers of results (this may include all the versions of a report) therefore it is highly recommended to further refine the search by specifying additional criteria such as report title, date, resource or status.
Server
Server post configuration validation facility
A Validation Tests tab has been added to the Server Configuration Tool. This tool gets installed on the server at the same time as the InfoAsset Mobile Server Suite and is available via the Windows Start menu (Programs | InfoAsset Mobile 2021.5 | Management Tools 2021.5| Configuration tool 2021.5). From this tab, users can run basic tests on the server to verify system configuration and functionality. This is typically carried out after installation or upgrade. Test results can be saved to xml files if required.
Improvements to error logging relating to applications being in edit mode
A notification is made to users in the status bar and the Server Management dialog when an application is in edit mode. This happens at application publication time when publishing does not complete successfully. This is important for users to know as outbound reports cannot be created for that application whilst it is in edit.
The error is flagged up in the usual manner in the Overview tab of the Server Management dialog (via colour coding and display of the error message when the coloured rectangle corresponding to the InfoNet Interface tab is clicked on) and the InfoAsset Mobile status bar (via colour coding). It is logged for applications that have been in edit for more than 20 minutes or are in edit when the service is started, and will be re-enunciated every hour thereafter until cleared.
See InfoAsset Manager Interface tab section of the Server Management dialog topic for more information.
Enhancements to dynamic data sources - multi language support and filtering by network type
When dynamic data sources are listed in InfoAsset Mobile, names based on table and column names are now translated to match the computer's locale. Please note that the English language will be used in the event of a translation not being found for an item.
Additionally when combo boxes and list boxes are being configured, only dynamic sources that are relevant to the current network type (collection, distribution or asset) will be displayed in the Dynamic Data for Control dialog.
