Staff Web Site Changes

I have a test version of a new web site up for the Staff web site at www.zpdemo.zpuser.com. I have changed the way the site keeps track of logged in users. The main problem I am trying to solve is having the ability to keep users logged into for long stretches of time. This new approach should keep you logged in as long as you do not close your browser. This should work better for inspectors in the field who want to stay logged in as they drive around. One of the side benefits of this new approach is that now we can show who is logged in at any given time. A new button called "Track Users" off the Main page shows a list of recent users. This change affected just about every page so I am testing it out on my demo site before moving it out to customers. Please let me know if you encounter any problems when using the site.

Security Training Video

I was reviewing the list of Training Videos on our web site and realized that some basic feature were not covered...such as the Security Module. So I have remedied at least that one. It is now posted for viewing. I also did some rearranging of that web page to hopefully make it easier to find videos of interest.

Forcing Log In for Staff and Mobile Sites

To go along with the change to the Public web page I wrote about earlier today, I have configured a way that customers can force users to have to log in before they can use either the Staff or Mobile web pages. By default both of those pages can be used without logging in. That makes them quicker to access and use. But it also lets unregistered users see more information than they can by using the Public page. By not allowing unregistered users access to the Staff or Mobile pages the problem is solved. Again, just let me know if you want your Staff and Mobile pages set for password-only access.

Staff Page Log In Change

I've changed the log in procedure slightly on the Staff ZP SQL web pages. Instead of popping up in a separate window the log in prompts now appear at the top of the right-hand column. Everything else about the log in process is the same.

Expanded Reporting Options for Staff Web Site

I've added more reporting options to the Staff web site interface so that it includes a few more application databases. Have also added at least one report filter to each page. So, for example, in the Building Reports page you can now easily limit the records included to only those that match a selected Permit Type. In a deviation from the Windows interface I chose not to enforce security for the report screens by default. In the Windows interface you have to have an Access Level of at least 7 to access the report screen for a given application. In the web site this is not true. You can access the report screens without even logging in. If you don't like that policy for your web site, I have an easy way I can change it so that the report pages use the same security criteria as the Windows interface. You just have to let me know your preference.

Security Option to Assign All

A new button has been added to the Security Maintenance screen that makes it easy to set all of the Access Details values to a new level. The Assign All button has a spinner field that you can set from 1 to 9. Then when you click on the Assign All button, all of the Access Detail levels will be changed to match the spinner value. This is a feature that is in ZP 32 but I didn't think it was needed in ZP SQL until I started advising new customers to change the default setting on the "zpdemo" user account. Rather than having to change each Access Detail manually, this new button makes quick work of making the "zpdemo" account more secure.

Avoid Using "zpdemo" User After Installation

When you initially install ZP SQL you have to access the program the first time using "zpdemo" as the User and Password. One of your first tasks should be to setup new user names. Then either delete or reduce the access levels assigned to "zpdemo". By default "zpdemo" has an access level of 1 for all categories. That's too risky to leave as is. If you keep this generic log-on, I would advise settings of 4 or greater. In the past, we at ZP Systems have used this generic log-on to troubleshoot problems for ZP SQL customers. Recently, however, I've written a utility that allows ZP Systems to add a more secure log-in to ZP SQL installations for our use if a customer needs us to view their data. So now there is no reason to keep the "zpdemo" user around after installation.

Security Included

In ZonePro SQL the Security Module is included with the Base Module. Security is built into ZP SQL. You have no choice but to log in with a password. Why? Because your data is now on the internet! Security is vital. The security in ZP SQL functions identically to ZonePro 32 in that you assign Access Levels to each password to determine what functions each user is allowed to access within ZP. At the moment the conversion process I have does not convert existing passwords from ZP 32 to ZP SQL so you have to re-establish that info in ZP SQL. A security issue I am wrestling with at the moment is what to do with web pages that access ZP SQL data. The web development language I am using has an elaborate security setup of its own which is not especially compatible with the existing security files used by ZP SQL. I may go with two different security systems: one for use the traditional ZP SQL interface and one for use with web pages.