powderDesk v1.1 - Some Fixes and Some Exciting New Features Coming Soon
We have been hard at work behind the scenes developing some exciting new features for powderDesk and addressing any bug reports we've received. We would like to thank our entire user community for the bug reports we've received over the past several weeks. One of our goals is to make sure that powderDesk is as bug free as possible so we try to address items as soon as they're reported.
Added Features:
1.) Ticket Filtering - On the tickets listing page, when you choose a set of ticket filters from either the "Filter By Status" or "Filter By Priority" drop down menus, these filter settings will be remembered when you navigate back and forth to other pages in the same session. There is an indication when you have a filter set so you know when you are looking at filtered tickets. Any filters will be cleared when you logout.
2.) Ticket Detail Savings - On the New/Edit Ticket details screen, changing ticket details within the new note or edit note modal window now automatically saves those fields on the ticket itself when you save the note. Previously it would update the ticket values with the values you changed in the note window, but would not save to the ticket until you clicked the "Save" button on the ticket details screen. Note that you should still click the "Save" button on the ticket details screen if you would like to save other fields, such as the Request Type or the Request Detail text.
Our v1.1 release also includes all of the following fixes:
1.) LDAP config can now be changed by admin accounts only.
2.) Submitters can be deactivated/reactivated through the LDAP config.
3.) LDAP syncing of existing local matching account now works properly.
4.) Submitters can now be marked active or not in config/accounts/submitter modals.
5.) "Filter by type" drop down for Assets now only shows types that currently have assets assigned to them.
6.) Parent > Child relationship between Asset Type and Asset Model now properly observed in the New/Edit Asset screen.
7.) When viewing an asset, it's now possible to scroll through the Asset Type drop down in the Asset Basics area.
8.) The "insert link" button now works properly in all modals where it applies.
9.) Hitting Enter for the "insert image" button now closes out just the insert image modal, instead of the entire editor modal.
10.) Clicking cancel while creating a new ticket will now always go back to the ticket index instead of creating a new blank ticket.
11.) LDAP password is now hidden in logs.
12.) Client email address was removed from the ticket view for better UI/UX.
13.) Improved padding of request detail in the Ticket Basics area for better UI/UX.
14.) Fixed an issue with autofill look ahead for clients and assets not referencing records from the database correctly.
15.) Fixes applied for improved long detail and note display on the tickets index page.
16.) Email addresses for login are no longer required to be entered as case sensitive.
17.) Fixed an issue where entering a duplicate LDAP auth source was possible, which was causing an error.
18.) Fixed an issue related to LDAP sync better handling case sensitivity.
19.) Ticket ID number now shows in the detail table cell of the ticket index screen
20.) Fixed an undefined console problem for IE8/9.
21.) Minor HTML bug fixes found during prep for tickets filter work.
22.) Fixed IE8 New Ticket button, Chrome clicking on mailto links.
23.) Fixed an issue where removing assets assigned to clients/submitters was not saving properly.
24.) A problem with IE8/9 hang or crash on submitter asset assignment has been fixed.
25.) When the submitter modal is re-opened, the asset search field is now cleared of any previously entered parameters.
26.) Placeholder text now acts correctly when opening asset/client search modals in IE8/9.
27.) Saving a note in the New Note modal now also saves any fields of the tickets that you changed.
28.) Ticket Filters on the Ticket index screen now remembered within the session. Ticket filters are removed upon logout.
In the Works!
One of the main components we've been working on since mid October is a suite of Parts & Billing features that will allow our customers to track their billable items and labor within a ticket. These new features are incorporated into both the Configuration area, and the Tickets area so I've included some screenshots in line for reference. If your organization is interested in taking a closer look at how these features will operate when they release, feel free to schedule a live tour with us by visiting:
http://www.powderdesk.com/contact-us
A new configuration area will be made available at /config/pb which gives you access to the following menu items:
We've built in a Parent > Child > Grandchild > Great Grandchild relationship that works out as Equipment > Category > Item > Part. Here are some additional details on each configuration area along with examples to help give you a point of reference.
Equipment: Parent level category that can have an icon applied for at a glance convenience. The icon library is the same library we offer at config/assets/icons. An example Equipment type could be HVAC.
Category: Child of Equipment. An example Category for HVAC could be a manufacturer, like Trane.
Item: Child of Category. An example Item for HVAC > Trane could be A/C. Items also carry an option for a text description.
Part: Child of Item. An example Part for HVAC > Trane > A/C could be a Coil. Parts also carry an applicable "price" field, as well as a text field for notes. Parts can also be assigned to one or more Clients by using the Client Lookup option in the Part modal.
Billing Rates: This area can be used to create customizable Billing Rates which can be assigned to your Responders. When a Responder works on a ticket and enters "work time" in the New Note Modal, powderDesk automatically calculates the price of that work time, based on the Billing Rate that is assigned to the responder. You have the option to designate whether a Billing Rate is also a Travel Rate.
Billing Periods: This area can be used to create customizable Billing Periods which can be assigned to a ticket during the Invoicing process. We include Net 30, Net 60, Net 90 and C.O.D as default options. The defaults can be edited or deleted if desired.
Cost Codes / Billing Codes: Customizable designations which an be assigned (Optionally) to a ticket during the Invoicing process.
We have also created a smooth process for tracking all of this newly created data. The easiest way to input billable data within a ticket is from the updated "New Note" Modal screen shown below. The parts lookup has been added to the upper right hand corner of the modal. When inputting "work time" on the note, powderDesk automatically calculates the amount of work time against the "Billing Rate" that has been assigned to to the Responder leaving the note. If multiple responders are working on a ticket, no worries, powderDesk tracks all work individually!
We also include a Parts lookup in the Ticket Details area for instances where you need to add a part, without wanting to add a note. All of the entered Parts & Billing data is consolidated into the newly created Parts & Billing Details button.
The Billing Details Modal contains all of the visible Responder Notes, Work Time and, billable parts for the ticket. This is also where auto calculated costs are listed and where the invoice can be generated.
We still have a little more work to do to finish up Parts & Billing but the release of these features is fast approaching! If your organization is interested in taking a closer look at how these features will operate when they release, feel free to schedule a live tour with us by visiting:
http://www.powderdesk.com/contact-us
As always, let us know if you run across any bugs or if you have any ideas for features!
You can reach our Support Team at:
http://www.powderdesk.com/support/
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