Rice Lake CRS-Certificate Retrieval System - Manual (Page 16)

12 Certificate Retrieval System User’s Guide
3.0 Front-End Administration
There is a significant difference between what
information is available for manipulation between the
front-end and the backend of CRS. The backend
administrative panel is for general configuration of
CRS and entering of critical data. The front-end is for
day-to-day operations by the customers and data entry
personnel. This is why the front-end has a much
smaller number of functions. The interface between
what the user and the front-end administrative user
sees are nearly identical so you will be accustomed to
what the customer is experiencing in CRS.
The major difference between the front-end interface
and the backend interface is two parts of the interface.
The first of these is a simplified version of the list
view. This simplified view should be familiar to basic
users of the Internet and is simple and intuitive to use.
Items on this list view that lead to other views are
marked with hyperlinks. There is still the ability to
sort by any column and there is a search feature that
works the same as the one in the backend. The second
of these is the popup menu. Much like the toolbar in
the backend this popup menu changes to reflect the
actions available on the page you are viewing. This
keeps the interface from being cluttered with
unnecessary options. It is important to remember that
features may be disabled using the permission system.
For example, if the Add Company button is not
present when viewing the customer list, it is likely due
to the fact that the user logged in does not have
permission to that feature.
3.1 Logging In
Logging onto the CRS front-end is the same for both
administrative users as it is for customers. However,
the results will be subtly different. The main
difference is what information and menu options are
available. By default logging in as an administrative
user brings you to the customer list, whereas a
customer user login automatically sees all available
scales for the customer for which the user is assigned.
Also, being logged in as a customer limits you to a
small number of functions and no popup menu.
3.2 Company List
Once logged in as an administrative user you will
immediately see the customer list. From this list, you
can perform a number of day-to-day data entry
functions quickly and easily. You can add new
companies, edit existing company data, search and
f i l t e r t h e l i s t o f c o m p a n i e s a n d a v a r i e t y o f
non-company specific functions.
3.3 Add/Edit Company
To create a new company,
1. Click the New Company button.
The Company Information form appears.
2. Complete form. At a minimum you must
enter:
• Company Name
• Address
• Contact Information (Name and Phone
Number)
• E-mail (Separate multiple addresses with
a comma and space (, )
• Service Location
The remaining data is optional.
3. When finished click the Save Company
button
To edit a company,
1. Select the edit button next to the company
name in the customer list.
2. Make changes.
3. When finished click the Save Company
button.
If you have entered e-mail addresses for your
customer contacts, you can simply click the contacts
name to send the person an e-mail. The browser will
open the e-mail window using your default e-mail
client.
3.4 Company Search
Performing searches in the front-end works almost
identically to the backend. You can search for any
string within any of the columns on any of the pages
of information currently in the list. It then displays
only the records from the results of your search. This
filters out unwanted entries and is particularly useful
with data spread across multiple pages. The Show All
button next to the search box will return the list view
back to its original starting point. As your customer
base grows this will become a very useful feature.
3.5 Sorting the Company List
Sorting records in the simplified list view works
n e a r l y i d e n t i c a l t o t h e b a c k e n d . R e c o r d s o f
information run in columns and rows with the headers
at the top of each column.