Therefore Strategic Technology Services

Sunday 15 October 2023

Therefore BPMS Version 7 Changes / Release Notes

The Therefore Business Process Management Suite (BPMS) is a product that has been under continuous refinement for the past 17 years. Every week, we make between 10 and 20 small refinements to the BPMS, which amounts to about 780 refinements in a year. That’s a lot of refinements! In fact, we’ve made approximately 13,260 refinements to the Therefore BPMS since it was first taken to the market back in 2006.

If you’re interested in learning more about the value that we have added to the Therefore BPMS in Version 7, you can check out the release notes for Version 7 by clicking here or by viewing the imbedded PDF provided below. The Version 7 release notes provide a detailed overview of all the new features and improvements that have been added to the BPMS since we put Version 6 out back in March 2021.

Sunday 7 March 2021

Therefore BPMS Version 6 Changes / Release Notes

Every week we make between 10 and 20 small refinements to the Therefore BPM Suite. In a year that amounts to about 780 refinements. The Therefore BPMS has been under continual refinement for the last 15 years, which translates into some 11 700 refinements. What would you expect if you refined something 11 700 times?
 
What follows is an overview of the core enhancements made during the course of the development of the 6th release of the Therefore BPMS application, which should give you an idea of the type of value that we are continually adding to the Therefore BPMS.

Activate Optional Features Screen

  • Introduce new “Availability Configuration” options in support of the new “Availability Management” functionality, as detailed under the Availability Management heading below.
  • Revise page headers
  • Revise instruction text

Availability Management

  • Introduce new “Enable sign in availability review for Out of Office Users” functionality with the following radio options as per the Activate Optional Features screen …
  1. Enforce “In Office” status on sign in … or …
  2. Provide the user with a screen that encourages availability status to be changed to “In Office”

Public Pages

  • Revise styling of Navigation buttons to indicate active button.
  • Revise styling of Action buttons to indicate default / suggested choice.
  • Ensure that the “enter” key triggers the default / suggested Action button.

Task Summary

  • Should the “General click activation / Review” option be active, disable the “General click activation / Review” for the currently active task / query.

Help Tab

  • Revise “Site Credits” button text
  • Revise “Site Credits” page header.

System Administration Scripts

  • Introduce a new script that archives orphaned attachments.
  • Introduce a new script that deletes tasks and queries that were closed more than 8 years ago.
  • Revise instruction text.

Manage Reporting Screen

  • Correct an error that occurs when the “Manage Reporting” screen is saved that results in all spaces being removed in the “Headings” field. 

Quick Search

  • Make the “Welcome to Search” instructions displayed under the “Quick Search Results” option collapsible.

Reassign Utility

  • Resolve the error that occurred if an “Out of Office” User utilised the “Reassign” utility which, under certain circumstances, resulted in the task / query erroneously running into a yellow error status.
  • Implement Therefore ThreadBuilder™ configurable “Always allow for Self-Assigning” functionality that allows selected Users to always have “Self-Assigning” rights should they have access to the task / query company under question.

Therefore ThreadBuilder™

  • Introduce an “Always allow for Self-Assigning” configurative dropdown which contains a listing of active User Groups to a “Thread Type” level “Reassign” tab.
  • Various narration placement refinements.

User Groups

  • Introduce an “Always allow for Self-Assigning” Confirm Action message / check on the “User Groups” screen.

Task / Query Close Screen

  • Correct the erroneous task error status that is awarded to a task / query should an “Out of Office” User attempt to close a task / query that is allocated to him / her.

Performance Screen

  • Implement various styling refinements to the light blue style sheet to improve the attractiveness / readability of the Dashboard’s “Performance” option.
  • Revise headings so as to replace the phrase “Thread Type” with the phrase “Task Type”.

Updating Spinner

  • Implement various styling refinements to the common style sheet to improve the attractiveness of the “Updating Spinner”.
  • Correct the error that results in the “Updating Spinner” shutting off prematurely, particularly noticeable on “large load” pages.

Thread Check

  • Revise the “No available buttons error” Thread Check so that stranded Entry Types are excluded from the Thread Check error determination logic.

Timeout Error

  • Resolve the error that occasionally occurs on some instances of the software when the session times out.

Style Sheets

  • Remove legacy style sheets that are no longer used …
  1. Alternate
  2. Wide_19
  3. Large
  • Various style sheet revisions to improve end user experience

Report Viewer

  • Various text changes made to the “Report Usage” section of the “Report Viewer”.

Database Management

  • Implement database changes to accommodate for the implementation of the “Always allow for Self-Assigning” refinement made to the “Reassign” utility (Script 143)
  • Implement a stored procedure to accommodate the new “delete tasks and queries closed more than 8 years ago” System Administration Script (Script 144)

Copyright Management

  • Update Email Templates such that they indicate © 2021.
  • Update the Therefore ThreadBuilder™ application such that it indicates © 2021.
  • Update the Report Viewer such that it indicates © 2021.
  • Update the Web application such that it indicates © 2021 in the following contexts …
  1. Unauthenticated / public screens
  2. Authenticated screens
  3. Print and PDF screens
  4. Report Viewer screen
  • Update the following style sheets so as to indicate © 2021 …
  1. Public Style Sheet
  2. Light Blue Style Sheet
  3. Common Style Sheet
  4. Print Style Sheet

Version Management

  • Update Web version number to 6.x.x.x.
  • Update Therefore ThreadBuilder™ version number to 6.x.x.x.
  • Update Service version number to 6.x.x.x.

Release Information
Compile date: 3/2/2021
Code version: 6.0.7731.27319
Database version: 20210228.144

Thursday 5 November 2020

Therefore BPMS Version 5 Changes / Release Notes

Every week we make between 10 and 20 small refinements to the Therefore BPM Suite. In a year that amounts to about 780 refinements. The Therefore BPMS has been under continual refinement for the last 14 years, which translates into some 10,920 refinements. What would you expect if you refined something 10,920 times?

What follows is an overview of the core enhancements made during the course of the development of the 5th release of the Therefore BPMS application, which should give you an idea of the type of value that we are continually adding to the Therefore BPMS.

Reminders Interface

  • Fix the Reminders tab left hand side summary display listing error that presents itself should the Limit Reminders displayed by menu option selected option have been selected on the Review and Utility Screen Options screen.
  • Fix the Comments tab left hand side summary display listing error that presents itself should the Limit Comments displayed by menu option selected option have been selected on the Review and Utility Screen Options screen.
  • Resolve Utilities display sequence inconsistency with respect to the display of the following Utilities by standardising on an oldest to newest sequence …
  1. Notes
  2. Ad-Hoc email
  3. Ad-Hoc SMS
  4. Progress Status Updates
  • Introduce configurative options that allow for the display of the following data elements via the Task / Query Review screen when their Therefore ThreadBuilder™ visibility is set to “Hide” …
  1. Classification
  2. Priority
  • Introduce configurative options that allow for the display of the following data elements via the Task / Query Review screen when their Therefore ThreadBuilder™ visibility is set to “View” …
  1. Long Description
  2. Priority
  3. Date / Time
  4. Classification
  • Revise the Task / Query Review screen’s styling for the following fields should they be set to “display” via theReview and Utility Screen Options” screen and be set to “View” or “Hide” via the Therefore ThreadBuilder™ so as to indicate that the User wasn’t in a position to edit their contents …
  1. Long Description
  2. Priority
  3. Date / Time
  4. Classification
  • Add options for the fields detailed below that enable them to be displayed on the Task / Query Review screen when they have been set to “hide” or “view” via the Therefore ThreadBuilder™, as per the new functionality outlined under the Task / Query Review Screen heading.
Therefore ThreadBuilder™ “View” display options …
  1. Long Description
  2. Priority
  3. Date / Time
  4. Classification
Therefore ThreadBuilder™ “Hide” display options …
  1. Classification
  2. Priority
  • Add the following attachment player / previewer enable / disable options …
  1. Audio player
  2. Video player
  3. Image previewer
  4. PDF previewer
  • Update instructions text.

Implement the following players / previewers for deployment throughout the system where attachments are displayed for access …

  • Audio player
  • Video player
  • Image previewer
  • PDF previewer
  • Add Display Availability Status option to the Contact List Configuration section of the Activate Optional Features screen.
  • Make various narration text refinements.
  • Update instructions text.
  • Revise the logic that drives the display of Availability on the Contact List such that display / non-display is solely determined by the new Display Availability Status option introduced on the Activate Optional Features screen.
  • Revise the manner in which the Contact List’s post search User Listing behaves after a user has been selected so that the User Listing remains static / compliant to the search performed until the search is cleared.
  • Add placeholder text to the search text box.
  • Revise the No Available Buttons Error Thread Check message.
  • Revise the Terminating Button on Starting Entry Type Error Thread Check message.
  • Ensure that a “no buttons” Thread Check is triggered if there are no buttons allocated to the create step.
  • Various Resource File tidy ups.
  • Add new search / replace variables …
  1. Thread Type Name
  2. Thread Type ID
  3. Creation Date
  4. Creation Time
  5. Goal Date
  6. Goal Time
  7. Now Date
  8. Now Time
  9. Percentage of time used
  10. Status colour
  11. Department Head
  12. Task Company Web address
  13. Task Company Internal coordinator
  14. Task Company External coordinator
  15. Primary Company Web address
  16. Primary Company Internal coordinator
  17. Primary Company External coordinator
  18. Primary Company External Reference 1
  19. Primary Company External Reference 2
  • Add new email routing variables ...
  1. User Group
  2. Department Head
  3. Task Company Internal Coordinator
  4. Task Company External Coordinator
  5. Task Company External Reference 1
  6. Task Company External Reference 2
  7. Primary Company External Reference 1
  8. Primary Company External Reference 2
  9. Department External Reference 1
  10. Department External Reference 2
  11. Major External Reference 1
  12. Major External Reference 2
  13. Minor External Reference 1
  14. Minor External Reference 2
  15. Thread Type External Reference 1
  16. Thread Type External Reference 2
  • Ensure that all User specific email routing variables don’t return an email address if the underlying User has been disabled.
  • Update Notifications definitions document (Version 17).
  • Revise the tab sequence on the following Therefore ThreadBuilder™ tabs …

Thread Type Level tabs …

  1. Details
  2. Proxy
  3. Company
  4. Contract

Entry Level tabs …

  1. Details
  2. Notice
  • Allow the Entry Level “Long Description” field to be set to “View”.
  • Correct display error on the Entry Level’s “Email Cycle” tab such that the bottom scroll arrow is not obscured.
  • Resolve intermittent error that presents with the following keyword searches …
  1. Black
  2. Green
  3. Yellow
  • Disable Search Text box spell check.
  • Fix the error that occurs should a user click the “Cancel” button on a Utility screen while an active Smart Search is in play.
  • Add placeholder text to the Smart Search box.
  • Add placeholder text to the Quick Search box.
  • Revise styling of the Quick Search box.
  • Update all Email Templates so as to mark them as © 2020
  • Update Therefore ThreadBuilder application so as to indicate © 2020
  • Update web application so as to indicate © 2020 in the following contexts …
  1. Unauthenticated screens
  2. Authenticated screens
  3. Print and PDF screens
  4. Report Viewer screen
  • Update the following style sheets so as to indicate © 2020 …
  1. Public Style Sheet
  2. Light Blue Style Sheet
  3. Common Style Sheet
  4. Print Style Sheet
  • Update Web version number to 5.x.x.x.
  • Update Therefore ThreadBuilder™ version number to 5.x.x.x.
  • Update Service version number to 5.x.x.x.
  • Should the footer have been configured to display the Active Task, only display the “Active Task” narration if there is an active task in play so as to minimise screen clutter.
  • Limit the Target Hours field to only allow for the capture of whole numbers.
  • Revise the maximum target hours exceeded validation message.
  • Revise instruction text.
  • Revise formatting of narrations under the Variables heading.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise the duplicate “Name” validation mechanism, both in new and edit mode.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise the duplicate “Name” validation mechanism, both in new and edit mode.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Limit the Target Hours field to only allow for the capture of whole numbers.
  • Revise the maximum target hours exceeded validation message.
  • Revise formatting of inline validation messages.
  • If there are inline validation errors present, present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when the “Save” or “Create” button is clicked.
  • Resolve bug such that the system retains all data captured / changed when a non-inline validation error is triggered by clicking the “Save” or “Create” button.
  • Revise the duplicate “Name” validation mechanism, both in new and edit mode.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise the duplicate “Name” validation mechanism, both in new and edit mode.
  • Revise the duplicate “Name” validation mechanism, both in new and edit mode.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise the duplicate “Name” validation mechanism, both in new and edit mode.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise formatting of inline validation messages.
  • If there are active inline validation errors, present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when the “Save” button is clicked.
  • Introduce a “Reset login failures” on “sign in” or “password change” radio option.
  • Revise instructions text.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise formatting of inline validation messages.
  • Resolve bug such that the system retains awareness of the Priority being edited when a non-inline validation error is triggered by clicking the “Save” button.
  • If there are inline validation errors in place, present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when the “Save” or “Create” button is clicked.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise the duplicate “Name” validation check mechanism, both in new and edit mode.
  • Revise formatting of inline validation messages.
  • Resolve bug such that the system retains all data captured / changed when a non-inline validation error is triggered by clicking the “Save” or “Create” button.
  • Resolve bug such that the system retains awareness of the Document Type being edited when a non-inline validation error is triggered by clicking the “Save” button.
  • If there are inline validation errors present, present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when the “Save” or “Create” button is clicked.
  • Revise the duplicate “Name” validation check mechanism, both in new and edit mode.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise formatting of inline validation messages.
  • If there are inline validation errors present, present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when the “Save” button is clicked.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Trailing carriage returns to be removed from the following fields on save …
  1. Communication Disclaimer
  2. Reporting Disclaimer
  • Revise formatting of inline validation messages.
  • Revise placement of data capture fields to ensure consistency with other screens.
  • If there are inline validation errors present, present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when the “Save” button is clicked.
  • Revise formatting of inline validation messages.
  • If there are inline validation errors present, present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when the “Save” button is clicked.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Trim leading, trailing and superfluous inner spaces as well as spaces before and after commas from the data saved in the Headings field.
  • Remove leading, trailing and extra spaces from within the Menu Name, Long Name and Family Name fields on save.
  • Revise formatting of inline validation messages.
  • If there are inline validation errors present, present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when the “Save” button is clicked.
  • Revise formatting of the Report Name in the “Select a Report to edit” dropdown.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise instructions text
  • Revise narration text
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise the options menu structure.
  • Implement new options icons to accommodate the revision of the Options menu structure.
  • Revise “Print” stylesheet to accommodate newly introduced attachment players / previewers.
  • Revise “Light Blue” stylesheet to accommodate newly introduced attachment players / previewers.
  • Revise “Light Blue” stylesheet to accommodate for newly introduced Welcome page collapsible instructions.
  • Make miscellaneous style sheet refinements to improve look and feel / usability.
  • Credits listing updated.
  • Upgrade the TinyMCE Rich Text Editor to the latest version throughout the site.
  • Implement TinyMCE Long Description Templates on the create / update screens.
  • Enable TinyMCE Templates such that they can be configured at Entry Type level.
  • Allow for the specification of the path to the TinyMCE Long Description Template repository via the web.config file.
  • Implement TinyMCE Template not editable functionality so as to allow HTML contained within Templates to be uneditable via the TinyMCE interface.
  • Allow for the TinyMCE rich text editor to be used in “full screen mode”.
  • Enable TinyMCE Templates to be used as detailed below …
  1. Allow for optional insertion, via the TinyMCE menu structure, of HTML based content and / or allow for the default insertion of HTML based content on page load.
  2. Allow for the insertion of previously captured “Long Description” content, either in “all” or “most recent” mode.
  3. Allow the “Long Description” to be set up as a “View” field.
  4. Allow Notification “Search and Replace” variables to be used within TinyMCE Long Description Templates.
  5. Implement a dynamic “Template” button, i.e. appears only when applicable, on the Create / Update screen’s TinyMCE Long Description field.
  • Fix bug the that occurs when Progress Status Updates are saved and the underlying Task or Query does not have a “Goal Date / Time” in place.
  • Display User Group ID on the User Groups screen when the signed in User has activated Debug Mode in support of using User Groups as a Notifications routing variable.
  • Revise the duplicate “Name” validation mechanism, both in new and edit mode.
  • Update instructions to detail the display of the User Group ID when Debug Mode has been activated.
  • Revise update status message to read “Debug mode updated”.
  • Revise the Task / Query Detail Object so that the “Long Description” that it carries is rich text.
  • Implement various database upgrade scripts …
  1. Correct intermittent colours-based Smart Search errors (Script 139)
  2. Various revisions to the “Options” menu structure (Script 140)
  3. Implement reassign reason weighting (Script 141)
  4. Add a “Reassign Reasons” menu option to the “Options” menu (Script 142)
  • Rewrite the report viewer using latest versions of Angular components.
  • Implement a more user-friendly “Report List”.
  • Implement “Report Usage” material.
  • Ensure that the CSV “Export” button is disabled until the report has been run.
  • Revise the styling of the Report Viewer screen.
  • Reformat all welcome pages such that the instructions are displayed in a “collapsible” format.
  • Make various “Welcome” page instruction text revisions.
  • Revise the styling of the Dashboard’s “Performance” option data tables to enhance readability.
  • Revise instruction text on My Password screen
  • Revise, with a view to simplifying, the text on the public “Change Password” screen.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Trailing carriage returns to be removed from the following fields on save …
  1. Physical address
  2. Postal address
User Management Screen
  • Trailing carriage returns to be removed from the “Admin notes” field on save.
  • Various narration changes.
  • Change the way the system handles unauthenticated URL calls such that the User is redirected to the unauthenticated default page.
  • Upgrade the .NET Framework to 4.7.1.
  • Implement a Site Setup screen that allows for the management of “Reassign Reasons”.
  • Ensure that Reassign Reasons are listed in accordance with their weighting, ascending.
  • Should no weighting be in place, ensure that Reassign Reasons are listed in accordance with their “Reassign Reason Name”, ascending.
  • Implement the new Task Summary sorting option (i.e. “sort active task to the top” or “anchor active task to the top”) as configured via the “Summary Object Options” screen.
  • Implement the new “Highlight active task” option as configured via the “Summary Object Options” screen.
  • Implement the new “General click activation / review” option as configured via the “Summary Object Options” screen.
  • Introduce configurative options to allow for the sorting / styling of the task / query “Summary Object” as per below …
  1. Introduce a “sort active to top” / “anchor active to top” radio option.
  2. Allow the “Highlight active task” feature to be enabled / disabled.
  3. Allow the “General click activation / Review” feature to be enabled / disabled.
  • Revise page headings.
  • Revise instruction text.
  • Make various narration changes.
  • Revise instruction text.
  • Make various narration changes.
  • Revise instruction text.
  • Implement an “Add Proxy Client mobile” button should a mobile number have been captured in the task / query proxy section.
  • Revise instruction text.
  • Add placeholder text to the search box.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Implement an “Add Proxy Client email” button should an email address have been captured in the task / query proxy section.
  • Revise instruction text.
  • Add placeholder text to the search box.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Add placeholder text to the search box
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
  • Revise the fields on which the spell checker is turned on / off.
 
Release Information
Compile date:  2020-10-15
Code version:  5.0.7593.15981
Database version:  20200630.142