Property Linking in Staff Web Site

A few weeks ago I wrote about a new option in the Contact File Screen that makes it easy to link a contact record with multiple properties without having to go to each actual Property Screen record. Now that feature has been extended to the Staff web site. there is a new Manage Property Links option available from the Contact main page that essentially does the same thing. It provides an easy way to link a contact record to additional property records from one screen. The new page has already been uploaded to all ZP internet accounts and is ready for use!

Email Screen for Property Page

I've added an Email option off of the primary Property Page in the Staff Web site. It will auto-load any email addresses stored for Contacts. It also has an option to easily reference any photos or pdfs that have been uploaded for the current property record. I think this will prove useful.

Email Attachment Option

I've added a button to all the email screens in the Staff site to allow users to add an attachment to the email. I would advise not trying to attach anything over 1 MB big. I'm not sure how useful this feature will be in the context of ZonePro but I would like to hear about it.

Email Troubleshooting

I've done some work to help ensure that everyone can send e-mails via their Staff web site. I did troubleshooting of the default email server settings and they should now work for all customers. Please let me know if that is not the case. There are a few new settings added to the Email Setup page in Maintenance to enable more precise control. The Test Email page off of the Email Setup Page gives more setting information as well to aid in getting it working for each customer. I would recommend going with the default settings and a custom "From" address rather than trying to use your own mail sever. Try it out for yourself.

Photo Manipulation Options on Web

Among the changes to the photo options on the Staff web sites are two new pages for manipulating photos after they are uploaded. One page allows you to rotate your images to get the correct orientation. The second page allows you to crop a photo to remove extraneous material. These are particularly useful when using a tablet as a camera and upload device because those photos often benefit from a little maintenance.

Batch Upload for Web Photos

As mentioned in previous post, I have replaced the method used to upload photos in the Staff web site. One benefit of this new method is the Add New Photos option now allows you to do a "batch" upload where you can upload up to 10 photos at one time. A new Photo record is created for each file. This is similar to the Batch Loader option in the Windows program except that you don't have an option to fill in extra fields as part of the process. You will have to edit each record created to change the Description or Linked ID, for example. But you can easily do this once the upload completes.

New Upload Screens for Photos on Web

I have replaced all of the photo upload screens in the Staff web site. The new upload screens allow you to drag and drop JPG or PDF files onto a control and provides a preview of the item before uploading. When uploading JPGs from a PC the new process resizes the image before the upload to improve upload times. This new approach should work smoother on PCs and be a big improvement on tablets as well. This affects the Photo Module upload process and the Property Cover Picture option.

Permit Mover for Staff Web Site

The SQL Permit Mover tool has been added to the Staff Web site. You can get to it by going to Maintenance and then the System section. The Permit Mover is part of the ZP Toolbox options in the Windows version of ZonePro SQL. It allows you to move a permit from one property to another which is useful if the permit was accidentally entered under the wrong address. I think the web version is even easier to use than the Windows version because it only presents you with drop-down boxes so there is no typing, and it gives better feedback on the chosen permit and the chosen property so that you can be sure you are making the right choices.

Mapping Fire Hydrants in the Staff Site

I have just uploaded pages to the Custom section of the demo Staff web site that lets users map fire hydrants and keep track of them in a database. You can add hydrants visually using a map. You can look up a street address and find all the nearest fire hydrants. This is just a test system that I am working on for a customer but it is also a fun example of the kinds of things you can do with web-based data. You can play with the pages yourself by logging on at www.zpdemo.zpuser.com/staff and using the Dashboard from the Main page to go to Custom Options. From there you will see a menu of options for working with the fire hydrant maps and data.

Exporting Data from Staff Pages to Spreadsheets

I've added a new capability to several pages on the Staff site that allow you to export data to an Excel Spreadsheet which is then downloaded to your device. This new option is available on the All Inspections page to download scheduled inspections. It is available on the Contractor Activity page. It is also an option on all of the report screens so that instead of printing a report or creating a PDF you can download all the data that the report criteria would capture to a spreadsheet. This new option makes it super easy to get data out of the Staff site for use with other programs. I'm sure there are other pages in the Staff site or the Contractor Request site that could benefit from this option. Just let me know if you have a page that you'd like to nominate as a candidate.

Alternate Way to Obtain Module Updates

The Installed Modules screen in ZP SQL provides a way to automatically download all the latest updates for the modules in your installation. Unfortunately, connecting to the FTP server to download these updates is sometimes fraught with problems. Now there is an alternative way to obtain the downloads via your Staff web site. In the Maintenance page of the Staff site, under the System Maintenance section there is a link to a Windows Update page. This page has three sections. First there is a list of all the current modules, their version numbers and their last modified date (Note that this list can be sorted by any of the three columns). You can compare this list with the version numbers you see in the Installed Modules screen of ZP SQL to find out what updates you need. Then there is a section for downloading each of the Base Module pieces and a section for downloading Application Modules. These are the exact same files you would get when using the Installed Modules screen from the Windows program except that here you have to download each one individually and unzip it yourself. It involves more work, but it gets the job done in a pinch. After you download any updates make sure you exit ZP SQL before you attempt to unzip and copy the files into your installation folder.

Annotation Training Video

I just published a Training Video for the new Photo Annotation feature I wrote about earlier this week. This is the first time I have tried making a video for web features and the video format is much larger than those I have used in the past. This will only be a problem if you have a particularly small monitor. The new Photo Annotation feature is fun to try and easy to figure out after watching the video: http://zoneprosoftware.com/support/videos/annotate.html

Photo Annotation Added

It's not often that you get to do something that is both fun and useful. The new Photo Annotation feature is just such beast though. This feature allows you to draw on photos that you have uploaded to your Staff web site. This allows you to easily highlight the salient objects in the photo with circles and arrows, etc.

You get to the photo annotation page by going to the Photo Edit page in your Staff site and then use the Photo Annotate menu option on the floating dashboard. As you can see from the above example this page presents you with a toolbar that lets you create rectangles, circles, lines or use a pencil. You can select line width, the fill color, and the stroke color. It is very easy to use. And its quite fun. Give it a try. I also added an option to the Building Inspection E-mail page that makes it really easy to add photo links to your emails. In conjunction, these two feature should improve your communications with contractors.

Processing Contractor Inspection Requests

For those customers using the web site that lets their contractors request inspections online, you can now process those requests directly from your Staff site. If you have requests "Pending" you can see those directly on the Main page and select a request to begin processing it. If not you can go to the Contractor Search page and check the Dashboard menu options for a new Inspection Requests choice. This option takes you to a page that shows all existing requests whether they are Pending, Accepted or Denied. The various options available to you here are the same as from the Windows program. You can process requests, send e-mails back to contractors, view the permits involved, manage the passwords assigned to the contractors, etc. To my mind, the web site is easier to use for reviewing requests because its easier to jump around to view different pages and to send e-mails. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Dashboard Control in Web Sites

I received feedback that some customers did not like the way the floating dashboard was triggered in the Staff and Public web sites. It was too easy to accidentally hover over the dashboard and have it spring out. So I have added a check box on the Main page that lets you switch the dashboard between it's default hover mode a new click mode. In click mode you have to click on the dashboard to make it open or close. Another user-friendly change is the addition of a street search option right from the Main page. Since this is one of the most frequently used actions in ZonePro, placing it on the Main page should prove handy. Let me know what you think about these changes and any other feedback you have about the web site's useability.

Contractor Web Site Revamped

The Contractor Inspection Request web site has been rewritten to match the style of the Staff site. If you receive any feedback of problems using the new site please let me know. For those customers that are unfamiliar: the Contractor Inspection Request site allows contractors to request inspections and check the status of inspections from their own web site.It is an add-on option for all existing ZP SQL customers who have the Contractor Module installed.

New Public Web Site

Every ZP SQL customer now has a new Public web site. The idea is the same as the previous Public web site but this one was rewritten to match the style used by the Staff web site. The purpose of the Public web site is to provide a convenient way for non-employees to see information housed in ZonePro. The new Public site is still limited in the information it shows (no fees, phone numbers, or notes, etc.) and still does not provide any editing. One major new feature from the previous version is that Public site now supports mapping. It also supports limiting reporting options. The idea of a Public web site always seems to spark some controversy as to what information should or should not be included. If you want changes made to your community's Public web site please let know. You can opt out altogether as well.

Jump Reports for Staff Site

One of the great unsung features of the Windows interface for ZonePro is the ability to use the report screens as search tools and then "jump" to the application record you were seeking. Now you can do that on the Staff web site too. It works a little different though. I've actually created several "Jump" reports which show up in the Report Choice drop-down box of various report screens. Rather than producing a report you can print however, these reports show the results in a grid that lets you "jump" to any of the included records. It's a great way to search for permits and the like when you don't know the permit number.

Alert Messages for Staff Web Site

The Alert Message feature of ZonePro has been added to the Staff web site. If you have the value "ALERT" typed into either the Status field or the User4 field of any of the major databases, an Alert message box will pop up to tell the viewer to look at the Notes field before proceeding. This function should work the same in the Staff web site as it does in the Windows interface. This is a great way to flag property records or permit records that need special attention before any other action is allowed.

Notekeeper for Staff Web Site

The Notekeeper feature of ZonePro has been added to the Staff web site. For those who need a refresher: the Notekeeper feature allows you to store pre-defined bits of text for any of the various application screens that can later be easily added to the Notes field of a given record. This features saves you having to retype commonly used phrases, etc. The text segments are defined in Maintenance Options and organized by topic. Special buttons near the Notes fields allow you to paste in these text segments when editing application records. This feature is great for inspections, for example, to pre-define the text that you like to use for common problems. Then instead of having to retype the text each time you come across one of these common infractions, you can simply select the text you want by topic name and have it automatically copied into the inspection Notes field. Give it a try on the web site and let me know what you think.