Getting Started 700

7/31/2019 Getting Started 700

1/80

May 2006

Part No: 58464

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

Getting Started


2/80

BMC Software, Inc.www.bmc.com

Copyright 19912006 BMC Software, Inc. All rights reserved.

BMC, the BMC logo, all other BMC product or service names, BMC Software, the BMC Software logos, andall other BMC Software product or service names, are registered trademarks or trademarks of BMC

Software, Inc. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies.

BMC Software, Inc., considers information included in this documentation to be proprietary andconfidential. Your use of this information is subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable end userlicense agreement or nondisclosure agreement for the product and the proprietary and restricted rightsnotices included in this documentation.

For license information about the OpenSource files used in the licensed program, please readOpenSourceLicenses.pdf. This file is in the \Doc folder of the distribution CD-ROM and in the

documentation download portion of the product download page.

Restricted Rights Legend

U.S. Government Restricted Rights to Computer Software. UNPUBLISHED -- RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER THE

COPYRIGHT LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES. Use, duplication, or disclosure of any data and computer software by the

U.S. Government is subject to restrictions, as applicable, set forth in FAR Section 52.227-14, DFARS 252.227-7013, DFARS

252.227-7014, DFARS 252.227-7015, and DFARS 252.227-7025, as amended from time to t ime. Contractor/Manufacturer is

BMC Software, Inc., 2101 CityWest Blvd., Houston, TX 77042-2827, USA. Any contract notices should be sent to this

address.

Contacting Us

If you need technical support for this product, contact Customer Support by email [email protected] you have comments or suggestions about th is documentation, contact Information Development byemail at [email protected].

This edition applies to version 7.0 of the licensed program.
http://www.bmc.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.bmc.com/


3/80

Contents 3

Contents

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

ARSystem documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Learn about the ARSystem Developer Community . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Why should you part icipate in the Developer Community? . . . . . . . . 10How do you access the Developer Community? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 1 Understanding the ARSystem development process . . . . . . . 11

What is an ARSystem application? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Determining what to track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Deciding what to build . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Using the proper tools for the tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

A summary of the development process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Tips for designing applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Helpful design tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Effective user interface design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Helpful resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Accessibility for users with disabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22


4/80

4 Contents


Chapter 2 Working in the ARSystem development environment . . . . . . . 23

Running BMC Remedy Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Starting BMC Remedy Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Logging in to BMC Remedy Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Changing login information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Changing the current login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Canceling login process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Viewing online help and other information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Exiting BMC Remedy Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Administering the ARSystem server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Starting and stopping AR System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Managing temporary server files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Using the BMC Remedy Administrator windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Working with toolbars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Displaying objects in the Server and Application windows. . . . . . . . . 37

Using the Server window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Opening a Server window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Selecting a server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Closing a Server window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Using the Application window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Opening an Application window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Closing an Application window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Manipulating ARSystem objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Creating server objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Copying server objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Dragging and dropping objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Renaming server objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Deleting server objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Displaying details about objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Building and using change history for AR System objects . . . . . . . . . 50

Creating help text for AR System objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Helping users who view forms in a browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54


5/80

Contents 5

Getting Started

Performing batch updates on server objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Defining administrator preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

General preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Confirmation preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Form Fonts preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Display preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Form preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Web View preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75


6/80

6 Contents



7/80

Preface 7

Preface

Important:The compatibility information listed in the product

documentation is subject to change. See the compatibility matrix at

http://supportweb.remedy.com for the latest, most complete

information about what is officially supported.

Carefully read the system requirements for your particular operating

system, especially the necessary patch requirements.

Audience

This guide is for users who are new to BMCRemedyAction RequestSystem (AR System).

ARSystem documents

The following table lists documentation available for AR System products.

Unless otherwise noted, online documentation in Adobe Acrobat (PDF)

format is available on AR System product installation CDs, on the Customer

Support site (supportweb.remedy.com), or both.
http://supportweb.remedy.com/http://supportweb.remedy.com/http://supportweb.remedy.com/http://supportweb.remedy.com/


8/80

8 Preface


You can access product Help through each products Help menu or by

clicking on Help links.

Title Description AudienceConcepts Overview of AR System architecture and features with

in-depth examples; includes information about other

AR System products as well as a comprehensive glossary

for the entire AR System documentation set.

Everyone

Installing Procedures for installing AR System. Administrators

Getting Started Introduces topics that are usually only learned when first

starting to use the system, including logging in, searching

for objects, and so on.

Everyone

Form and Application Objects Describes components necessary to build applications in

AR System, including applications, fields, forms, and

views.

Developers

Workflow Objects Contains all of the workflow information. Developers

Configuring Contains information about configuring AR Systemservers and clients, localizing, importing and exporting

data, and archiving data.

Administrators

Installing and Administering

BMC Remedy Mid Tier

Contains information about the mid tier, including mid

tier installation and configuration, and web server

configuration.

Administrators

Integrating with Plug-ins and

Third-Party Products

Discusses integrating AR System with external systems

using plug-ins and other products, including LDAP,OLE, and ARDBC.

Administrators

/Developers

Optimizing and

Troubleshooting

Server administration topics and technical essays related

to monitoring and maintaining AR System for the

purpose of optimizing performance and troubleshooting

problems.

Administrators

Database Reference Database administration topics and rules related to how

AR System interacts with specific databases; includes anoverview of the data dictionary tables.

Administrators

Administering BMC Remedy

DSO

Server administration and procedures for implementing

a distributed AR System server environment with the

BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option (DSO).

Administrators


Flashboards

Flashboards administration and procedures for creating

and modifying flashboards and flashboards components

to display and monitor AR System information.

Administrators

/Programmers


9/80

ARSystem documents 9

Getting Started

C API Reference Information about AR System data structures, C API

function calls, and OLE support.

Administrators

/Programmers

C API Quick Reference Quick reference to C API function calls. Administrators

/Programmers

Java API1 Information about Java classes, methods, and variables

that integrate with AR System.

Administrators

/Programmers


Email Engine

Procedures for installing, configuring, and using the

BMC Remedy Email Engine.

Administrators

Error Messages List and expanded descriptions of AR System errormessages.

Administrators/Programmers

Master Index Combined index of all books. Everyone

Release Notes Information about new features list, compatibility lists,

international issues, and open and fixed issues.

Everyone

BMC Remedy User Help Procedures for using BMC Remedy User. Everyone

BMC Remedy Import Help Procedures for using BMC Remedy Import. Administrators

BMC Remedy Administrator

Help

Procedures for creating and modifying an AR System

application for tracking data and processes.

Administrators

BMC Remedy Alert Help Procedures for using BMC Remedy Alert. Everyone

BMC Remedy Mid Tier

Configuration Tool Help

Procedures for configuring the BMC Remedy Mid Tier. Administrators

1. A JAR file containing the Java API documentation is installed with the AR System server.

Typically, it is stored in C:\Program Files\AR System\Arserver\Api\doc\ardoc70.jar on

Windows and /usr/ar/< s e r v e r _ n a me>/api/doc/ardoc70.jar on UNIX.

Title Description Audience


10/80

10 Preface


Learn about the ARSystem Developer Community

If you are interested in learning more about AR System, looking for an

opportunity to collaborate with fellow AR System developers, and searchingfor additional resources that can benefit your AR System solution, then this

online global community sponsored by BMC Remedy is for you.

In the Developer Community, you will find collaboration tools, product

information, resource links, user group information, and be able to provide

BMC Remedy with feedback.

The Developer Community offers the following tools and information:

Community message board

Community Downloads

AR System Tips & Tricks

Community recommended resources

Product information

User Experience Design tips

Why should you participate in the Developer Community?

You can benefit from participating in the Developer Community for the

following reasons:

The community is a direct result of AR System developer feedback.

BMC Remedy provides unsupported applications and utilities by way of

Community Downloads, an AR System application.

BMC Remedy posts the latest AR System product information in the

Developer Community to keep you up to date.

It is an opportunity to directly impact product direction through online

and email surveys.

Its free!

How do you access the Developer Community?

Go to supportweb.remedy.com, and click the Developer Community link.
http://supportweb.remedy.com/http://supportweb.remedy.com/


11/80

Understanding the ARSystem development process 11

Chapter

1Understanding the ARSystemdevelopment process

This section describes what to do after you have installed and set up

AR System and want to start using it to create your own business applications

and automate your business process flows. The following topics areprovided:

What is an AR System application? (page 12)

Determining what to track (page 12)

Deciding what to build (page 13)

Using the proper tools for the tasks (page 15)

A summary of the development process (page 16)Tips for designing applications (page 18)

Accessibility for users with disabilities (page 22)

Use BMC Remedy Administrator to create and customize applications for

your business needs, as explained in Chapter 2, Working in the AR System

development environment, and the Form and Application Objects guide.

Typical customizations include creating new access control groups and

adding filters and active links to enhance workflow. See the Concepts guide

for complete descriptions of the key components that make up AR System.

In addition, the AR System Application Requirements Analysis, Design, and

Development class offered by Education Services is another helpful resource

that goes in to greater detail on the topics presented in this section.


12/80

12 Chapter 1Understanding the ARSystem development process


What is an ARSystem application?

An AR System application is a software tool that is used to track data,

processes, and issues. Aform is the basic user interface and building block ofan application. Forms containfieldsthat your users will fill out. As your users

create and update entries through forms, the backend database server is

updated. Each form corresponds to a set of tables in the backend database

that are linked by a form (schema) ID, and each field corresponds to a

column.

Workflow objects such asactive links,filters,escalations,active link

guides, and filter guides tie together events and transactions in yourapplication. Workflow objects are action-based, which means that workflow

definitions are evaluated when data changes state or a specific action is

initiated. Workflow is executed based on conditions such as a user tabbing

into a field, time passing, or a process running based on the type of data

entered in a form. You group forms, workflow, and related objects to create

applications.

A complete trouble ticket application might consist of a main form thatcontains the caller identification, problem description, and work log

information, and several secondary forms that are linked or related to

the main form to manage caller information or aging tickets.

Determining what to track

What you decide to track depends on your analysis of your business

processes and the rules that exist to deal with data and events. You can gather

requirements from users, managers, and other administrators.

When analyzing your current business processes and rules, you must identify

the transitional points in the process where data moves from one state to the

next. Processes must be designed to handle state transitionsspelling out

what is a legal transition and what is illegal. You will also take into accounthow various groups of people in your organization will handle the data

during state transitions.

When analyzing your data tracking needs, identify the following

information:

What is the life cycle of the data: Data capture, data storage, data retrieval,

data update, data archival, and data retirement.

What types of information can be tracked together?


13/80

Deciding what to build 13

Getting Started

Where does the data come from? Other systems? User data entry?

Where is there potential for redundancy of data entry?

Where does data need to be just referenced or displayed? Where can data

be reused?

What kinds of reports and information do your users need from your

application?

Following normal business practices, how quickly will the applications

data be no longer relevant?

You can address these questions when designing your application and

deciding how many forms will accurately define the processes you have

identified. The number of forms you create depends on the smallest unit of

data you want to track and how you want that type of data to relate to other

types of data. For example, if you want to keep all data about assets in a single

form, you will need additional fields to accommodate information (data)

about manufacturers. However, you could also easily have a separate form

for assets and link it to another form for manufacturers through workflow

and logical joins.

Deciding what to build

When designing filters, escalations, and active links that will define the

workflow process, consider the following issues:

What your current workflow process is. Create a flowchart that describesyour current problem-solving process. The following figure shows an

example of a process flowchart.

What events in your process trigger specific actions. Can you use shared

workflow? What, specifically, triggers these actions?


14/80



Figure 1-1: Workflow process example

Discover problem andreport it to dispatcher.

User

Close resolvedproblems and reportto dispatcher.

Front Line Back Line Management

Check for newproblems and assignpriority.

Check staff availabilityand assign problems.

Send daily list of newproblems tomanagement.

Track open problems.Escalate high-priorityproblems open longerthan one day.

Escalate medium-priority problems openlonger than 2 days.

Report escalatedproblems tomanagement.

Check for newproblems and assignpriority.

Check staff availabilityand assign problems.

Send daily list of newproblems tomanagement.

Notify user of problemresolution.

Check for newassignments andbegin problemresolution.

Check history reportsfor similar problems.

Follow procedures foridentifying andresolving problems.

Monitor openproblems and trackescalations.

Summary Information

Escalated Problems

New Problem List

G i S d


15/80

Using the proper tools for the tasks 15

Getting Started

Using the proper tools for the tasks

AR System uses servers to manage data. The following table summarizes the

main servers you will access. For more information about servers withinAR System, see the Configuring guide.

You use the various AR System client tools for different administrative tasks.

The following table summarizes your options.

Server Use

AR System server Processes the data it receives from AR System clients and

passes the data to the database server to be stored.

Database Stores definitions and data for the AR System server.

Web server Serves as a repository for web applications. The web

server will display the appropriate page to an authorized

user.

Client Tool Used to

BMC Remedy User Create groups and roles. Create users and assign

licenses. (These are administrator tasks.)

Access AR System forms and applications to create

and search for requests. (These are user tasks.)

Browser Access web-based AR System forms and

applications to create and search for requests.(These are user tasks.)

BMC Remedy Administrator Create forms and workflow. Manage AR System

server settings and licenses.

Configuration Tool Modify mid tier settings for AR System servers,

passwords, logging, caching, and authenticating

web services. Specify home page, and preference

and catalog servers.

BMC Remedy Import Import data into existing AR System forms.

BMC Remedy Alert Inform users when they receive alerts.

BMC Remedy User

Command Line Interface

(CLI)

Connect to the AR System server without the

graphical user interface of BMC Remedy User. Use

this tool to automate tasks.

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7 0


16/80



A summary of the development process

The following table summarizes the steps necessary to develop an AR System

application.

BMC Remedy Administrator


(CLI)


graphical user interface of BMC Remedy

Administrator. (Note that not all tasks are availablethrough this interface.) Use this tool to automate

tasks.

BMC Remedy Import


(CLI)


graphical user interface of BMC Remedy Import.

Use this tool to automate tasks.

Client Tool Used to

Tasks How For more information, see:

Plan 1 Analyze and determineyour business processes,

events, user functions, and

so on.

2 Create a detailed design

specification.

ConceptsguideAR System Application

Requirements Analysis, Design,

and Development course

Build the

Application

1 Use BMC Remedy

Administrator to createthe application and the

forms, workflow, and

other objects in it.

2 Define groups or roles and

their access permissions.

Form and Application Objects

guideConfiguringguide

AR System 7.x: Administering -

Part 2 course

AR System 7.x: Administering -

Part 3 course

Getting Started


17/80

A summary of the development process 17

Getting Started

Test and Tune

the Application

1 Select a group of people to

test the application.

2 Make adjustments to theUI, workflow, and server

environment to maximize

performance.

3 Use BMC Remedy

Application Explorer to

analyze and troubleshoot

the application.

Optimizing and Troubleshooting

guide

Workflow Objects guide

Configuringguide

BMC Remedy Application

Explorer Administrators Guide

AR System 6.x: Performance

Tuning and Troubleshooting

course

Move the

Application to

Production

1 Use BMC Remedy

Administrator to export

the application and install

it on the production

server.

2 Add and license users.

3 Consider using a product

like BMC Remedy

Migrator to identify

differences among objects

on different servers or to

import definitions.

Configuringguide

BMC Remedy Migrator

Administrators Guide

Tasks How For more information, see:

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7 0


18/80



Tips for designing applications

This section offers tips for designing the layout of the forms in your

applications. By following standard UI design practices, you can help yourusers understand how to fill out forms more easily.

Usability studies show that users prefer to complete major tasks quickly and

accurately. Properly designed applications:

Improve user task completion rates by 2550%.

Reduce technical support time by 2030%.

Reduce training time by 3040%.

Reduce user frustration level by 050%.

To ensure more user-friendly applications, observe the application design

principles that follow.

Helpful design tips

Use the following tips when designing your applications:

Target common tasksDesign around the three or four most common

tasks that your users are likely to perform. If you have several types of users

(for example, managers and support personnel), design separate forms,

tabs, or views for each type.

Group elementsGroup information that belongs together in the samearea. For example, keep all customer address information in one area.

Label each section clearly. Use white space to separate the grouped

information.

Emphasize elementsPlace important elements, such as required fields,

at the top of the grouped sections. Place optional or less important

elements at the bottom. Buttons should immediately follow the section

upon which they act.

Simplify the interfaceTo increase your user success rates, you can:

Reduce the required steps to accomplish the most common user tasks.

Reduce the amount of text and font types, design elements (such as

buttons and fields), and graphics. Consider eliminating the non-

required elements.

Getting Started


19/80

Tips for designing applications 19

Gett g Sta ted

Create smaller tables.

Plan your design around which tasks users must accomplish and which

fields they require to accomplish those tasks. As a general rule, 80% of

optional fields can be eliminated.

Create contrastChoose a light background color that makes black text

easy to read. Avoid light-colored text, as well as dark, multicolored, or

textured backgrounds. Use headings, bold text, and light colored cells and

borders to make important elements stand out.

Align elementsAlign your fields and field labels. Misaligned fields create

visual confusion and draw the users attention away from the tasks they

must perform.

Be consistentKeep language simple and consistent . For example, use

either Postal Code or Zip Code, but not both.

Have similar field lengths and button types for similar actions.

Provide feedbackProvide a message or clearly change the way that the

interface appears after a user performs an action. For example, if the userperformed the wrong action, supply an error message that explains why

the action did not succeed and what the user must do next.

Test your applicationCustomers can give feedback on your application

from a user point of view. Test your application with a cross-section of

customers that best reflects your intended audience.



20/80


y q y

Effective user interface design

The following figures illustrate the design principles outlined in this section.

The poorly designed user interface in the following figure shows misaligned,extraneous, and disorganized fields. The bottom sections are not labeled. The

Clear Table button does not follow the appropriate section. Important

elements blend in with less important ones, making it more difficult to

accomplish tasks quickly.

Figure 1-2: Poorly designed interface

Getting Started


21/80

Tips for designing applications 21

This figure shows a well-designed interface that includes only necessary fields

that appear grouped and aligned. Important fields stand out from the

background, and users can accomplish tasks quickly.

Figure 1-3: Well-designed interface

Helpful resources

For more information about usability design principles, talk to a usability

consultant or see the following books and Websites.

Books

Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity, by Jakob Nielsen

GUI Bloopers: Don'ts and Do's for Software Developers and Web Designers,

by Jeff Johnson

The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems, by

Jef Raskin (Paperback)

About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design, by Alan Cooper



22/80


Websites

http://www.uie.com

http://www.upassoc.org

http://www.nngroup.com

Accessibility for users with disabilities

Both BMC Remedy User and web clients support users who need assistive

technology such as JAWS (Job Access with Speech). For more information

about accessibility in web clients, see theInstalling and Administering BMC

Remedy Mid Tierguide.
http://www.uie.com/http://www.upassoc.org/http://www.nngroup.com/http://www.nngroup.com/http://www.upassoc.org/http://www.uie.com/


23/80

Working in the ARSystem development environment 23

Chapter

2Working in the ARSystemdevelopment environment

This section is an introduction to using BMC Remedy Administrator to

develop applications. The following topics are provided:

Running BMC Remedy Administrator (page 24)Administering the AR System server (page 32)

Using the BMC Remedy Administrator windows (page 36)

Using the Server window (page 42)

Using the Application window (page 43)

Manipulating AR System objects (page 44)

Performing batch updates on server objects (page 54)Defining administrator preferences (page 57)

BMC Remedy Administrator also contains additional functionality not

documented in this section. See the following guides for more information:

ConfiguringguideUsing BMC Remedy Administrator to configure the

server and manage server licenses

Integrating with Plug-ins and Third-Party Products guideUsing BMC

Remedy Administrator to manage application licenses; using source

control

Optimizing and Troubleshooting AR System guideUsing BMC Remedy

Administrator to synchronize the database and track form and application

statistics



24/80

24 Chapter 2Working in the ARSystem development environment

For specific information about creating applications, see the Form and

Application Objects guide.

Running BMC Remedy AdministratorOnly users registered as AR System administrators or subadministrators can

use BMC Remedy Administrator. For more information about access

control, see the Form and Application Objects guide.

This section discusses starting BMC Remedy Administrator, logging in, and

accessing online help.

Starting BMC Remedy Administrator

To start BMC Remedy Administrator

Choose Start > Programs > Action Request System > BMC Remedy

Administrator.

Or

Type a r a dmi n in the Run dialog box.

Logging in to BMC Remedy Administrator

You can log in to AR System from any computer on the network that has

access to the AR System server.

To log in to BMC Remedy Administrator

Use this procedure if you specified at least one AR System server during BMC

Remedy Administrator installation.

1 In the User Name field, enter the name of an AR System administrator, such

as Demo.AR System is case-sensitive, which means you must type De mo , not d e mo or

DEMO.

Getting Started


25/80

Running BMC Remedy Administrator 25

Note:During initial installation, the Demo user is installed without a

required password. Add a password for this user as soon as possible to

keep AR System secure. See the Configuring guide for information about

the Password field in the User form.

2 Enter the password of the AR System administrator .

3 (Optional) Click the Options button, and enter the preference server and

authentication string, as needed:

a (Optional) In the Preference Server field, enter the name of your

preference server.

A preference server is the AR System server on which the AR System

preference forms are installed. This server stores your administrator and

user preferences in a central location where they can be accessed from any

client machine. You define a server as a preference server during or after

installation, as described in the Configuring guide.

If you always log in from this local machine, leave the Preference Serverfield blank, and your preferences will be stored locally on this machine. If

you later designate a preference server, you will need to reset all of your

preferences so that they are stored on that remote server. For more

information about central and local preferences, see the Configuringguide

and BMC Remedy User Help.

b Enter an authentication string, if necessary.

You must inform clients whether an authentication string is needed when

logging in and what that string should be. For most situations, this field

will not be used and will remain empty.

Whether you need an authentication string depends on how you are

validating users. For more information, see the Configuringguide.

You can also define use of an External Authentication plug-in. For more

information, see the C API Reference guide.

4 Click OK.

After successful login, a server window is displayed.



26/80


Figure2-1: BMC Remedy Administrator with server window

If you try to log in to multiple servers and cannot connect to one or more

servers, those servers are displayed with a red slash ( ) to the left of their

names in the server window.

If you cannot log in to any servers, the Login window remains open.

Changing login information

You can modify, add, and delete login information for any server or user

name from within BMC Remedy Administrator.

Changing server information

To add servers or to view the Accounts dialog box (shown in the followingfigure), click the Accounts button in the Login window, or choose Tools >

Account in the BMC Remedy Administrator window.

Getting Started


27/80


Figure 2-2: Accounts dialog box

The dialog box includes the following features:

Preference status is indicated at the top of the Account dialog box.

A green light and the text

: preference server

active means that you specified a preference server in the Preference

Server field in the Login dialog box. When you add to, delete from, or

modify the server list, the information is saved to your preference server

on the AR System Administrator Preference form.

A red light and the text No preference server selected means that

you specified none in the Preference Server field. When you add to,

delete from, or modify the server list, the information is saved to your

local file.

A green check mark indicates that the system will attempt to connect to

that server at login.

A red cross indicates that the system will not attempt to connect to that

server at login.

A server name in bold indicates servers to which you have been

successfully connected in previous logins.



28/80


To change server information

1 Choose Tools > Account in the BMC Remedy Administrator window to

open the Account dialog box (Figure 2-2 on page 27).

2 Use the following buttons to modify the server list.

3 Select the Advanced Server Properties check box to set a TCP port numberor a private server number for a specific server.

4 Click OK.

The new login information is applied immediately, but does not affect the

current session. You must log in again to take advantage of these changes.

Changing user information

When you add a user name, it is added to the User list in the Users dialog box

for the client and administrator tools for that computer. Users whose names

are listed in the User form of a specific server can log in to that server even if

they are not listed in the User Name menu of the Login dialog box.

Use the following procedure to change user login information. The new logininformation is applied immediately, but does not affect the current session.

You must log in again to take advantage of these changes.

To change user information

1 Choose Tools > Account in BMC Remedy Administrator window, or click

the Accounts button on the Login dialog box to open the Account dialog box

(Figure 2-2 on page 27).

Add Allows you to add a server name.

Modify Allows you to change a selected servers name.

Delete Deletes the selected server.

TCP TCP port number of the ARSystem server. (ARSystem clients

that run versions prior to 5.0 cannot access TCP port numbers

under 1024.)

RPC Remote Procedure Call number, which represents the

program number of the specified server. This number allowsyou to connect to a private server.

Getting Started


29/80


2 Click the Users button to open the Users dialog box.

Figure 2-3: Users dialog box

3 Add a new user to the list, if required.

a Click Add to open the Add User dialog box.

b Enter the name of the new user in the User field.

c Enter the home directory of the new user in the Home Directory field.

d Click OK.

The new user name appears in the list alphabetically.

4 Use the following buttons to modify the user list, if required.

5 Click OK in the User dialog box.

Modify Allows you to change the users name and home directory.

Delete Deletes the selected user.



30/80


Changing the current login

Change your login, as needed, to administer other servers or forms.

If you have modified information in the Accounts dialog box and you wantthat information reflected in your current session, you must log in again.

To change the current login

1 Choose Tools > Login to open the Login dialog box.

2 In the User Name field, enter your name.

3 In the Password field, enter your password.4 Specify a preference server (optional); see the Configuring guide for more

information.

5 Specify an authentication string (optional); see step b on page 25 for more

information.

6 Click OK.

Canceling login process

When you log in to AR System, you can cancel the entire login process or skip

servers that are not responding. After clicking OK in the Login dialog box, the

Login Status dialog box appears.

Figure 2-4: Login Status dialog box

The cancel feature is useful if, for example, you misspelled a server name, theserver is down, or it is taking too long to connect to a specific server. You can

perform one of the following tasks:

Click Skip to stop the login process to the current server and log in to the

next server in the Server list.

Click Skip All to stop the login process on the current server and all

subsequent servers.

Getting Started


31/80


Click Cancel to stop the login process. Connections to servers that were

initially connected are dropped.

Viewing online help and other informationYou can open online help, access information about BMC Remedy products

and solutions, or view version and environment information about your

BMC Remedy Administrator installation.

To display online help for BMC Remedy Administrator, do one of the

following

With BMC Remedy Administrator open, choose Help > Contents and

Index.

Choose Start > Programs > Action Request System > BMC Remedy

Administrator Help.

To access information about BMC Remedy products and solutions

1 Choose Help > BMC Remedy on the Web.

2 Choose from BMC Remedy Home Page (the corporate website) or Technical

Support.

To display version and environment information about BMC

Remedy Administrator

1 Choose Help > About BMC Remedy Administrator.

The About window appears, displaying information such as the version

number and copyright date.

2 Press Esc to exit.

Exiting BMC Remedy Administrator

When you exit BMC Remedy Administrator, you are prompted to save any

unsaved objects. Your administrator preferences (see Defining

administrator preferences on page 57) are saved for your next login.

To exit BMC Remedy Administrator

Choose File > Exit.


Ad i i t i th ARS t


32/80


Administering the ARSystem server

The following sections describe topics specific to administering the

AR System multithreaded server.

Starting and stopping ARSystem

The following procedures describe how to start and stop AR System on

Windows and UNIX servers.

WindowsStarting and stopping ARSystemThe following procedures describe how to start and stop the AR System

server.

To start the ARSystem server on Windows

1 Access the Services screen.

a Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.

b Double-click Administrative Tools.

c Double-click the Services icon.

2 Select the appropriate server.

The first or only AR System server installed on a machine is called BMC

Remedy Action Request System Server.Additional servers are listed as BMC Remedy AR System .

3 Choose Action > Start.

The following services are started:

AR System Monitor, which starts:

BMC Remedy Action Request System ServerBMC Remedy Distributed Server Option

AR System Plug-in servers

AR System Portmapper

You must manually start the BMC Remedy Email Engine. See the

Administering BMC Remedy Email Engine guide for more information.

Getting Started

To stop the ARSystem serveron Windows


33/80

Administering the ARSystem server 33

To stop the ARSystem server on Windows

1 Access the Services screen.

a Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.

b Double-click Administrative Tools.

c Double-click the Services icon.

2 Select the appropriate server.

The first or only AR System server installed on a machine is called BMC

Remedy Action Request System Server.

Additional servers are listed as BMC Remedy AR System .

3 Choose Action > Stop.

To stop multiple AR System services, stop them in the following order:

a AR System Monitor, which stops:

BMC Remedy Action Request System Server

BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option


b BMC Remedy Email Engine

c AR System Portmapper

If you are using AR System Portmapper, stopping it in the Services window

will stop all services.

UNIXStarting and stopping ARSystem

If the armonitor executable exists under /bin, the

arsystem startup script will start armonitor, which executes the commands

listed in the configuration file. Ifarmonitor does not exist, the arsystem

startup script will attempt to start the arserverd executable (if it exists), an

executable that represents the main part of AR System. It handles all

interactions between clients and the database.

The arsystem script also shuts down armonitor and arserverd. For more

information about these utilities, see the Configuring guide.

The following procedures describe how to start and stop the AR System

server on UNIX.


To start the ARSystem serveron UNIX


34/80


To start the ARSystem server on UNIX

1 Log in as root or, in a non-root installation, log in as the user who starts

AR System.

2 Enter the appropriate command.

The following services are started:

AR System Monitor, which starts:




BMC Remedy Email Engine

To stop AR System on UNIX

1 Log in as root or, in a non-root installation, log in as the user who starts

AR System.

2 Enter the appropriate stop command, as shown in the following table.

To stop multiple AR System Services, stop them in the following order:

System Type Command

HP-UX If you chose to put the AR System server in the system startup file

when prompted during installation, use:

/sbin/init.d/arsystem_ start

If you accepted the default installation directory, use:

/usr/ar/bin/arsystem_ start

If you installed into another directory, use:

/bin/arsystem_ start

IBM AIX

Linux


/usr/ar/bin/arsystem_ start



Solaris If you chose to put the AR System server in the system startup file


/etc/init.d/arsystem_ start

Otherwise, use:


Getting Started



35/80

Administering the ARSystem server 35





b BMC Remedy Email Engine

WARNING:Do notuse the kill -9 command to stop the AR System server.

Doing so might leave your database in an inconsistent state.

Managing temporary server filesThe AR System server generates temporary files, most of which are only

needed for short periods of time. You might notice that some temporary files

are being created in your working directory. To change the directory in

which temporary files are created, you can set the TMP or TEMP system

environment variables.

System Type Command

HP-UX If you chose to put the AR System server in the system startup file


/sbin/init.d/arsystem_ stop


/usr/ar/bin/arsystem_ stop


/bin/arsystem_ stop

IBM AIX

Linux


/usr/ar/bin/arsystem_ stop


/bin/arsystem_ stop

Solaris If you chose to put the AR System server in the system startup file


/etc/init.d/arsystem_ stop

Otherwise, use:

/bin/arsystem_ stop


Using the BMCRemedy Administrator windows


36/80


Using the BMC Remedy Administrator windows

BMC Remedy Administrator opens in a main window that contains one or

more Server windows and Application windows.

Figure2-5: BMC Remedy Administrator main window with Server and Applicationwindows open

Different operations are available depending on which window is active:

Server windowAllows you to create new objects on the server and

manipulate all objects on the server.

Application windowLets you create and manipulate objects within the

scope of an application.

You need to run only one instance of BMC Remedy Administrator to

administer all of the servers running at your location. If necessary, you can

run more than one instance of BMC Remedy Administrator at the same time.

Note: If an object is saved with changes in one instance, and then the object

is saved in another instance, the original changes will be lost.

Toolbars

t e bar

Status bar

Menu bar

Getting Started

Workingwith toolbars


37/80

Using the BMC Remedy Administrator windows 37

Working with toolbars

You can drag and reposition the toolbars any way that you want, or dock

them as individual palettes on the BMC Remedy Administrator workspace.

Use the toolbar tooltips to see descriptions of each bu tton.

Whether the toolbars or status bar are displayed automatically is determined

by a general preference setting, as described in General preferences on

page 59.

You can view different BMC Remedy Administrator toolbars (Standard,

Palette, or Source Control) by choosing View > Toolbars.

Displaying objects in the Server and Application windows

In the Server and Application windows, you can display objects in one of the

following tabs:

ObjectDisplays by the various types of objects, such as Forms, Filters, or

Menus.

PrefixDisplays by object prefix (such as FB:).

In the Server window, you can also view objects by form, as explained in

Viewing server objects by form on page 40.

Displaying objects in the Object tab

The following procedure explains how to display objects in the Object tab.

To display objects in the Object tab

1 In the Server window or Application window, click the Object tab.

2 In the Server window, double-click an available server on which you want to

display objects.

3 Click the type of object you want to display.For example, clicking the Forms object displays the available forms, as shown

in the following figure.


Figure 2-6: Server windowObject tab


38/80


Displaying objects in the Prefix tab

The Prefix tab groups objects into folders based on naming conventions you

define using colon (:) delimiters. For example, all objects named FB: will appear under a folder called FB. Objects named FB:Sub1: will appear in a Sub1 subfolder under the FB folder. In the Namecolumn, only the portion of the object name is displayed.

The folders are representational groupings of objects according to their

names; actual folders do not exist in AR System.

To display objects in the Prefix tab

1 In the Server window or Application window, click the Prefix tab.

2 Select the server name (in a Server window) or application name (in an

Application window) for which you want to display objects.

3 Double-click the folder and subfolder (if applicable) for the group of objects

you want to display.

Object types that are available under that folder are displayed. For example,

if only forms and filters were named using the FB:prefix, only the Forms and

Filters object types will appear under the FB folder.

Available

server objectcategories

(Forms

selected)

Availableforms on

server

northstar

Object tab

Getting Started

4 Click the type of object you want to display.


39/80


For example, clicking the Active Links object displays the active links under

the folder, as shown in the following figure.

Figure 2-7: Server windowPrefix tab

To add new folders to the Prefix tab

1 In the Object tab or Prefix tab, create a new object as explained in

Manipulating AR System objects on page 44.2 Save the object using a name that begins with a prefix of your choice.

For example, if you save the object as Class1:, a new Class1

folder will appear in the Prefix tab. The new object will appear under this

folder.

3 Optionally, create additional subfolders by creating objects using an existing

prefix and adding a second prefix.

For example, if you save the object asClass1:Section1:, a new

Section1 folder will appear under the Class1 folder in the Prefix tab. The

new object will appear under the Section1 folder.

Folders

Available object

types

Available objects


To add objects to existing folders in the Prefix tab


40/80


1 Select a folder in the Prefix tab.

2 Create a new object as explained in Manipulating AR System objects on

page 44.

AR System will suggest a name that begins with the prefix used for that

folder. For example, if you select the FB folder and create an active link,

AR System will suggest a name for the active link that begins with FB:.

3 Save the object using a name that begins with the folders prefix.

Finding objectsYou can find an object in the object list if you know part of its name.

To find an object

1 Open the list you want to search in (for example, click the Forms icon on the

left side of the Server Window or the Application Window).

2 Choose Edit > Find.

3 Enter the necessary information in the Find Text dialog box, and click Find.

Refreshing the list of objects

When you add certain kinds of objects to an application, the objects might

not be visible in the Prefix tab immediately. For example, when you attach a

menu to a field on a form in an application, the menu becomes associatedwith the application, but the Prefix tab might not recognize that association

immediately. Use the Refresh command to make the menu appear in the

Prefix tab.

To refresh objects in the Prefix tab

Choose View > Refresh.

Viewing server objects by form

In the Object tab or the Prefix tab, you can view objects by form in the

following ways:

All objects on the server or in the application (the default)This method

is useful if you do not have many server objects.

Getting Started

Objects by their form prefixThis method is useful only if you use a

uniform naming convention for your objects For example ifallyour help


41/80


uniform naming convention for your objects. For example, if all your help

desk application objects begin with HD, using this prefix will cause only the

forms beginning with HD and their related workflow to appear in the

Server window. If your naming convention uses colon (:) delimiters (suchas HD:), view objects in the Prefix tab as explained in Displaying objects

in the Prefix tab on page 38.

Objects by selected formsThis method causes only the forms that you

select (and their related workflow) to appear in the Server window.

To display server objects by form

1 In the Server window, choose View > By Form.

The By Form dialog box displays the available forms.

Figure 2-8: By Form dialog box

2 Select the All Forms, Forms With Prefix, or Selected Forms option.

3 If you selected the Selected Forms option, move as many as ten forms to the

Selected Forms list.

4 Click OK.

In the Server window, the wordsPartial Listappear above the Name column

to indicate that an option is selected in the By Form dialog box.


Using the Server window


42/80


Use the Server window to select a server and create, modify, or delete server

objects. If you are creating an application, work within an Application

window, as described in Using the Application window on page 43.

Opening a Server window

You can have multiple Server windows open at the same time.

To open a new Server window

Choose Window > New Server Window.

To display a Server window that is already open

Choose Window > Server Window .

Selecting a serverYou can select any server that you are logged in to. For information about

selecting servers at login, see Changing login information on page 26.

To select a server

1 Open a Server Window.

Figure2-9: BMC Remedy AdministratorServer window

Getting Started

An unavailableserver marked with this icon ( ) is any server that is not

currently running, that was skipped during login, or that you do not have


43/80

Using the Application window 43

currently running, that was skipped during login, or that you do not have

permission to administer.

2 In the Object tab, double-click the server you want to administer.

Depending on your level of permission (whether administrator or

subadministrator), BMC Remedy Administrator displays the object

categories of the server you chose. You can administer the objects listed when

the server name is expanded.

Closing a Server window

When you close a Server window, you are prompted to save any open,

unsaved objects.

To close the active Server window

Choose File > Close.

Using the Application window

The Application window is used for developing local and deployable

application objects. For information about planning and developing

applications, see Chapter 1, Understanding the AR System development

process and the Form and Application Objects guide.

Opening an Application window

You can open an Application window by creating a new application or by

opening an existing application.

To create a new application

1 In the Server window, select a server.

2 Choose File > New Application.

3 Enter a name for the application, select Local Application or Deployable

Application, and click OK.

For more information about creating an application object, see the Form and

Application Objects guide.


To open an existing application

1 I h S i d l


44/80


1 In the Server window, select a server.

2 Choose File > Open Application to open the following dialog box.

Figure 2-10: Open Application dialog box

3 Select an application name and click OK.

Closing an Application window

When you close an Application window, you are prompted to save any open,

unsaved objects.

To close the active Application window

Choose File > Close.

Manipulating ARSystem objects

This section describes the steps for creating, copying, renaming, and deleting

AR System objects in both the Server window and Application window.

In a Server window, you can manage all server objects. In an Application

window, you manage only the objects containedin that application.

Getting Started

These procedures are the same for each AR System object, except for

application objects, which are discussed in the Form and Application Objects


45/80

Manipulating ARSystem objects 45

pp j pp j

guide.

Note:When you create a menu object in an Application window, the menu

initially appears in the Server window. After you add the menu to a

character field on a form or use the menu in a Change Field action that

belongs to an application, the menu also appears in the Application

window for that application. For more information about defining

Attributes properties and menus, see the Form and Application Objects

guide.

Creating server objects

Use the following procedure to create a server object.

To create server objects

1 In the Server or Application window, choose File > New Server Object.

2 Select the object you want to create, and click OK to open the properties

window.

3 Specify the appropriate object properties.

See the Form and Application Objects guide and the Workflow Objects guide

for detailed information about object properties.

4 Choose File > Save to save your changes.

The Save As dialog box appears.

Figure 2-11: Save As dialog box


5 In the Name field, enter an object name.

Object names must be unique for each AR System server There is no


46/80


Object names must be unique for each AR System server. There is no

enforced convention for specifying names, but it is helpful to make the name

descriptive. Names can be as many as 80 characters, including spaces.

The Web Alias field is populated automatically, and is not used in version 6.3

and later versions of the mid tier. In prior releases, the web alias was used in

the directory structure for web applications deployed on the mid tier.

Note: If you are using a relational database that is case-insensitive, you

cannot create any other AR System objects with names that are different

only in case, for example,hd:troubleticket and HD:TroubleTicket. Case-insensitivity can also be an issue with your source control environment,

depending on your underlying database design.

6 If you are using source control, select the Add to Source Control check box

to copy the object into your source control project.

For information about using source control in AR System, see the Integratingwith Plug-ins and Third-Party Products guide.

7 Depending on how you configured source control integration with

AR System, add a comment as part of the version history of the object.

8 Click OK.

Copying server objectsWhen you create a copy of an object, the new object retains all of the

properties of the original. The only difference is the name.

Note:You cannot create copies of deployable applications because different

deployable applications cannot contain the same forms.

To copy server objects

1 In the Server or Application window, double-click the appropriate object to

open it.

2 Choose File > Save As.

Getting Started

3 In the Name field, enter a new name.



47/80



and later versions of the mid tier. In prior releases, the web alias was used in

the directory structure for web applications deployed on the mid tier.

4 If you are using source control, add a comment as part of the version history

of the object.

5 Click OK.

If you are using source control in enforced mode, the object will

automatically be added to source control under your ownership. For more

information, see theIntegrating with Plug-ins and Third-Party Productsguide

and your source control application documentation.

Dragging and dropping objects

You can drag and drop forms between windows in BMC Remedy

Administrator.

WARNING:When you drag and drop objects into a deployable application,

AR System removes all explicit group permissions from the objects. You

must manually apply role permissions to packing lists and forms, and to

every object associated with each form, including fields, and any active

links and active link guides for which the form is the reference form.

Likewise, removing objects from a deployable application removes all role

permissions from the objects. For more information about roles, see the

Configuringguide.

For forms, note the following:

Dragging and dropping a form from a Server window to an Application

window includes the form and its associated objects (such as workflow and

menus) in the application.

Dragging and dropping a form between Application windows performs a

move, and includes the form and its associated objects (such as workflow

and menus) in the target application. For deployable applications, object

ownership is transferred to the target application.

Dragging and dropping a form from an Application window to a Server

window removes the form from the application.


Renaming server objects

When you rename an object allreferencesin any related object (for example


48/80


When you rename an object, all references in any related object (for example,

an active link attached to a form) are automatically updated.

To rename forms


open it.

2 Choose File > Rename Form.

3 In the Form Name field, enter a new name.

4 If you are using source control, select the Add to Source Control check box

to add the renamed object to the source control database. Otherwise, you will

have to add it later.


of the object.

6 Click OK.

To rename all other ARSystem objects


open it.

2 In the Name field, enter a new name.


of the object.

4 Save your changes.

Deleting server objects

Use the Edit menu in BMC Remedy Administrator to delete one or more

server objects at one time. If you select multiple objects in a Server window,you can delete them in one action.

When deleting server objects, remember these important tips:

Delete is a permanent action and cannot be undone.

If you delete a primary or secondary form of a join, the join form is also

deleted.

Getting Started

Deleting an object from the server does not automatically delete it from

the source control database.


49/80


You cannot delete an object that is open in BMC Remedy Administrator.

When you delete a form, all associated data and workflow that is notassociated with any other form is deleted. If workflow is shared by

multiple forms, it will not be deleted until the last form that uses it is also

deleted. Menus, applications, and packing lists must be deleted separately

because they are independent of forms.

To delete server objects

1 In the Server or Application window, select the objects that you want todelete.

WARNING: If your server preferences are set notto confirm that you want to

delete an object, you can delete every object (except Groups) on your

AR System server without having to confirm that you want to delete them.

For more information, see Confirmation preferences on page 62.

2 Choose Edit > Delete s.

3 Click Yes at the prompt to delete the objects.

The objects are removed from the database.

Displaying details about objectsWhen you open a Server window or Application window for the first time,

the windowss default view shows server objects alphabetically in listformat.

To display details about objects, choose View > Details.


Figure 2-12: Application windowdetails view


50/80


You can click on any column heading to sort the contents of the column in

ascending or descending order.

To view specific information about an individual server object, select the

object, and choose File > Object Summary. The Object Summary dialog box

appears.

Figure 2-13: Object Summary dialog box

Building and using change history for ARSystem objects

For each server object that you create by using BMC Remedy Administrator,

AR System automatically records the owner ( the user who created the

object), the user who last modified the object, the date of the modification,and object properties (read-only source control information). You can view

and in some cases modify this history information at any time by clicking the

Change History tab in each object window.

Getting Started

Figure 2-14: Change History tab


51/80


You can use the Change History tab as a diary of changes made to each object.

Each time you modify an object, you can update the change history to

maintain a record of the changes made over time.

To update the change history

1 In the create or modify window of the appropriate object, click the Change

History tab.

2 To change the ownership of the object, in the Owner field, enter the user

name of the new owner.

The Last Changed By field contains the name of the user who last changedthe object.

Note:Any user with Administrator or Subadministrator permissions can

modify an object, regardless of who the specified owner is for the object.


3 In the New Description field, enter the appropriate information.

You can enter information about the object or about the change that you

h j t d Y t t i th ti f th t b t dif


52/80


have just made. You cannot type in the upper portion of the tab to modify an

entry after it has been made.


Your entry, a time stamp, and your user name will appear in the upper

portion of the tab.

Creating help text for ARSystem objects

The help text that you supply for forms and fields is available to all users inBMC Remedy User as context-sensitive Whats This? help. In most cases, this

help describes the form or field, what it does, and how to use it.

Users of BMC Remedy User can view this help text in the prompt bar or in a

pop-up window by performing one of the following actions:

Choosing Whats This? on the Help menu and then clicking the form

Clicking the Whats This? icon and then clicking on the form

Right-clicking on the form, and choosing Whats This?

Pressing Shift-F1 and then clicking on the form

If you do not write help text, default field help will appear in the BMC

Remedy User prompt bar (if visible). This system-generated field help

describes various field settings, such as the data type, maximum character

limit, whether QBE is suppor ted, and so on.

The help text that you supply for all server objects except forms is available

only to administrators and subadministrators in BMC Remedy

Administrator. You can, however, compose extra help text for guides that

users can see in the prompt bar of BMC Remedy User as they are guided

through a form or a series of forms. For more information about guides, see

the Workflow Objects guide.

If you create large-scale applications using AR System, you can also include

up to five external help files (for example, .htm or .chm files) for your users.

Users access the help files by choosing Help > Help On

in BMC Remedy User. For more information about specifying external help

files, see the Form and Application Objects guide.

Getting Started

To create context-sensitive help text for users of BMC Remedy User

1 Open the properties window for the form or field.


53/80


To open form properties, choose Form > Form Properties. To open field

properties, double-click on the field.2 Click the Help Text tab.

Figure 2-15: Help Text tab

3 In the Help Text field, enter the information that you think will be helpful to

users.

Note:The Hide This Help Text in Web Views check box at the bottom of the

tab is ignored in version 6.3 and later versions. Using previous versions,

you can select the check box if you do not want help text to appear in a

form viewed on the Web.


To create help text for users of BMC Remedy Administrator

1 Open the create or modify window of the object for which you want to define

help text.

2 Click the Help Text tab.


Figure 2-16: Help Text tab


54/80


3 In the Help Text field, enter information that you think will be helpful to

administrators or subadministrators.


Helping users who view forms in a browser

You can create help for users viewing forms on the Web by adding a FormHelp button to a form. When users click the Form Help button, information

about the form and each of its fields appears. For more information, see the

Installing and Administering BMC Remedy Mid Tierguide.

Performing batch updates on server objects

You can modify several server objects at the same time, as long as they are agrouping of the same type of server objects. For example, you might want to

give the same permissions to a group of forms, or you might want to enable

several active links at once.

To perform batch updates

1 In the Server or Application window, select the objects that you want to

modify.

To select several adjoining objects, press the SHIFT key while selecting.

To select objects that are not adjoined, press the CTRL key while selecting.

2 Right-click one of the selected objects and choose Edit from the menu to

open the Properties dialog box in batch update mode.

Getting Started

The tabs that appear in the dialog box vary depending on the type of object

you are modifying.

Fig 2 17 B t h U d t F P ti di l g b P i i t b


55/80

Performing batch updates on server objects 55

Figure2-17: Batch UpdateForm Properties dialog boxPermissions tab


Figure2-18: Batch Update Active Link Properties dialog boxBasic tab


56/80


3 Modify the necessary fields under each tab in the dialog box.

Note the following tips:

For object types that have permissions (such as forms and active links),

select the Select All check box to select all the groups and roles listed andto change permissions for all the groups and roles at the same time.

Some fields, such as the Name field for active link properties, might be

disabled because they cannot be modified as a group.

For workflow objects, in the Execution Order field under the Basic tab,

you can:

Increase or decrease the execution order number by adding a plus sign

(+) or minus sign (-) in front of the number. For example, if you

entered +10, the execution order of each workflow object would

increase by 10. If you entered -10, the execution order would decrease

by 10.

Make all workflow objects in this bulk update the same. For example, if

you enter 10, the execution order for each workflow object will be 10.

Getting Started

For batch updates of workflow objects, you can select more forms in the

Form Name field, but you cannot clear forms.

If one or more objects have a property setting, the property is shown with


57/80

Defining administrator preferences 57

a check box in one of the following states:

ClearedNone of the selected objects have this property.

SelectedAll objects will have this property setting.

Selected but dimmedSome of the selected objects have the property,

and others do not.

4 To change the names of a group of objects, click the Advanced tab, and select

one of the following options:REPLACEIn the first field, enter the old text string that you want

replaced. In the second field, enter the new text string you want to replace

the old text with.

PREFIXIn the field, enter the text that you want to add to the beginning

of all of the selected object names.

APPENDIn the field, enter the text that you want to add to thebeginning of all of the selected object names.

Note that the text strings you enter are case-sensitive.

5 Click OK to apply the changes and close the Batch Update dialog box.

Defining administrator preferences

Use the Preferences dialog box (Figure 2-19 on page 59) to set preferences for

BMC Remedy Administrator.

The following table describes each tab in the Preferences dialog box and

provides the page where you can find more information.

Tab Information Page

General Defines the appearance of BMC Remedy

Administrator.

page 59

Confirmations Defines the warnings and confirmations that you

receive during BMC Remedy Administrator

processing.

page 61

Form Fonts Defines the fonts used in the forms that you design. page 64


Display Defines how menus or change history are displayed

in BMC Remedy Administrator.

page 68

Tab Information Page


58/80


Form Defines the default settings of the new objects thatyou add to a form. page 70

Web View Defines the form action fields (buttons) that you

want to be inserted automatically when you create a

Web - Alternate (Fixed) view.

Note: If you create a Standard (Recommended)

view, you can include these types of buttons in a

toolbar on forms viewed on the Web. See theinformation about the Menu Access tab of the

View Properties dialog box, as discussed in the

Form and Application Objects guide.

page 72

Getting Started

General preferences

Use the General tab to define the appearance of BMC Remedy

Administrator.


59/80


To define General preferences

1 In BMC Remedy Administrator, choose File > Preferences to view the

General tab of the Preferences dialog box.

Figure 2-19: Preferences dialog boxGeneral tab

2 Select the appropr iate options:

Show Status Bar If selected, displays a status bar at the bottom of the main

BMC Remedy Administrator window. The status bar

reflects the operation in progress.

Show Toolbars If selected, displays the toolbars below the BMC Remedy

Administrator menu bar.


Save Window Position

and Size on Close

If selected, enables AR System to remember the size and

position of BMC Remedy Administrator and its open

windows when you close the tool. Otherwise, BMC

Remedy Administrator windows open with the default


60/80


3 Click OK.

This preference information is saved to your AR System Administrator

Preference form.

Remedy Administrator windows open with the default

size and position.Date Format Determines the format in which the date is displayed in

BMC Remedy Administrator. If you select:

Short (the default)A numerical date that includes the

numerical day, month, and year is displayed (06/17/01).

LongAn alphanumeric date that includes the day of

the week, numerical day, month, and year is displayed

(for example, Sunday, June 17, 2001).The order of each date component is based on the

Regional Setting properties in the Control Panel.

For more information, see How date and time settings

are determined in AR System (the following section).

AR Path Identifies the folders where BMC Remedy Administrator

can access macros. The default value is

C:\\Home\arcmds.

Enter the entire folder path for each folder that you want

to access. To enter multiple path names, separate them

with a semicolon (;).

Proxy Server Settings

for Java VM

Configures BMC Remedy Administrator for In ternet

access through a proxy server, such as for creating filters

that consume web services.

A window configures the server for Internet accessthrough a proxy server. For more information, see the

Configuringguide.

Flat Look On Forms If selected, displays fields without shadows in BMC

Remedy Administrator, giving the fields a flat

appearance. The same look can be achieved in BMC

Remedy User by setting a user preference in the General

tab of the Options dialog box.

Getting Started

How date and time settings are determined in

ARSystem

Date and time Date and time formats are based on the following settings:


61/80


Date and time

formats

Date and time formats are based on the following settings:

In a Windows environment, the date and time display format is based on

the Regional Setting Propert ies Control Panel. If the AR System server is

running under a different account name or using the default user

configuration and you are unable to change the regional properties, you

can set the ARDATE, ARDATEONLY, or ARTIMEONLY environment variables.

In a UNIX environment, the date and time display format is based on the

ARDATE,ARDATEONLY

, orARTIMEONLY

environment variables for UNIX. Ifyou do not use one of these variables, the display format is the default

format for the language setting, with the time zone determined by the TZ

environment variable.

Note: If the client and server clocks are not synchronized, discrepancies

might occur. A date or time field set using a Set Fields active linkaction

uses the clients time, but afiltersets a field by the servers time. Timevalues in the core Create Date and Modified Date fields, and any diary

fields are all set from the AR System server environment, not the client

machine.

If you are using the ARDATE, ARDATEONLY, or ARTIMEONLY environment

variables to set the date format for the server, set it before the server is

started. You can set the variable in your startup script (for example, /etc/init.d/arsystem start).

For more information about setting the ARDATE, ARDATEONLY, and ARTIMEONLY

environment variables, see the Form and Application Objects guide.

Data and timevalues

AR System stores date and time values as follows:

Date/Time valuesAs integers relative to 00:00:00 GMT, January 1, 1970.

The display format and t ime zone offset are based on the environment of

the user, even when multiple clients view the same form from different

time zones.

Date valuesAs integers relative to 1/1/4713 B.C. Date values are

displayed in Gregorian format and are not based on time zone.


Time valuesAs integers relative to 00:00:00 today. Time values are not

based on time zone. See the Form and Application Objects guide for related

information.

ARSystem Imagine someone in New York City accessing a BMC Remedy User client at


62/80


ARSystem

clients indifferent time

zones

Imagine someone in New York City accessing a BMC Remedy User client at

11:00 a.m. (EST) to create a request from an AR System server located in

California, which has a local time of 8:00 a.m. (PST). Assuming al

Getting Started 700

Documents