Getting Started 700

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.
Getting Started
May 2006 Part No: 58464
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, and all 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 and confidential. Your use of this information is subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable end user license agreement or nondisclosure agreement for the product and the proprietary and restricted rights notices included in this documentation. For license information about the OpenSource files used in the licensed program, please read OpenSourceLicenses.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
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Contacting Us If you need technical support for this product, contact Customer Support by email at support@remedy.com. If you have comments or suggestions about this documentation, contact Information Development by email at doc_feedback@bmc.com. This edition applies to version 7.0 of the licensed program.
BMC Software, Inc.

www.bmc.com
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 AR System documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Learn about the AR System Developer Community . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Why should you participate in the Developer Community? . . . . . . . . 10 How do you access the Developer Community? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 1
Understanding the AR System development process . . . . . . . 11

What is an AR System 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
Contents
BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0
Chapter 2
Working in the AR System 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 AR System server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Starting 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 AR System 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Building 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
4 Contents
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
Contents
6 Contents
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 BMC Remedy Action Request System (AR System).
AR System 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.
Preface
You can access product Help through each products Help menu or by clicking on Help links.
Title Concepts Description Audience
Overview of AR System architecture and features with Everyone in-depth examples; includes information about other AR System products as well as a comprehensive glossary for the entire AR System documentation set. Procedures for installing AR System. Administrators
Installing Getting Started
Introduces topics that are usually only learned when first Everyone starting to use the system, including logging in, searching for objects, and so on. Describes components necessary to build applications in Developers AR System, including applications, fields, forms, and views. Contains all of the workflow information. Contains information about configuring AR System servers and clients, localizing, importing and exporting data, and archiving data. Developers Administrators
Form and Application Objects
Workflow Objects Configuring
Installing and Administering BMC Remedy Mid Tier Integrating with Plug-ins and Third-Party Products Optimizing and Troubleshooting
Contains information about the mid tier, including mid Administrators tier installation and configuration, and web server configuration. Discusses integrating AR System with external systems using plug-ins and other products, including LDAP, OLE, and ARDBC. Administrators /Developers
Server administration topics and technical essays related Administrators to monitoring and maintaining AR System for the purpose of optimizing performance and troubleshooting problems. Database administration topics and rules related to how Administrators AR System interacts with specific databases; includes an overview of the data dictionary tables. Server administration and procedures for implementing Administrators a distributed AR System server environment with the BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option (DSO). Flashboards administration and procedures for creating Administrators and modifying flashboards and flashboards components /Programmers to display and monitor AR System information.
Database Reference
Administering BMC Remedy DSO Administering BMC Remedy Flashboards
8 Preface
Getting Started
Title C API Reference C API Quick Reference Java API 1 Administering BMC Remedy Email Engine Error Messages Master Index Release Notes BMC Remedy User Help BMC Remedy Import Help BMC Remedy Administrator Help BMC Remedy Alert Help BMC Remedy Mid Tier Configuration Tool Help
1.
Description Information about AR System data structures, C API function calls, and OLE support. Quick reference to C API function calls. Information about Java classes, methods, and variables that integrate with AR System. Procedures for installing, configuring, and using the BMC Remedy Email Engine. List and expanded descriptions of AR System error messages. Combined index of all books. Information about new features list, compatibility lists, international issues, and open and fixed issues. Procedures for using BMC Remedy User. Procedures for using BMC Remedy Import. Procedures for creating and modifying an AR System application for tracking data and processes. Procedures for using BMC Remedy Alert.
Audience Administrators /Programmers Administrators /Programmers Administrators /Programmers Administrators Administrators /Programmers Everyone Everyone Everyone Administrators Administrators Everyone
Procedures for configuring the BMC Remedy Mid Tier. Administrators
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/<server_name>/api/doc/ardoc70.jar on UNIX.
AR System documents
Learn about the AR System Developer Community

If you are interested in learning more about AR System, looking for an opportunity to collaborate with fellow AR System developers, and searching for 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.
10 Preface
Chapter
Understanding the AR System development 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 are provided: 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.
Understanding the AR System development process
11
What is an AR System application?

An AR System application is a software tool that is used to track data, processes, and issues. A form is the basic user interface and building block of an application. Forms contain fields that 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 as active links, filters, escalations, active link guides, and filter guides tie together events and transactions in your application. 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 that contains 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 account how 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?
12 Chapter 1Understanding the AR System development process
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 describes your 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?
Deciding what to build
13
BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0 Figure 1-1: Workflow process example
User
Front Line
Back Line
Management
Discover problem and report it to dispatcher.
Check for new problems and assign priority. Check staff availability and assign problems. Send daily list of new problems to management. Check for new assignments and begin problem resolution. New Problem List
Track open problems. Escalate high-priority problems open longer than one day. Escalate mediumpriority problems open longer than 2 days. Report escalated problems to management.
Check history reports for similar problems. Follow procedures for identifying and resolving problems.
Escalated Problems
Check for new problems and assign priority. Check staff availability and assign problems. Send daily list of new problems to management. Notify user of problem resolution.
Close resolved problems and report to dispatcher.
Monitor open problems and track escalations.
Summary Information
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 within AR System, see the Configuring guide.
Server AR System server Database Web server Use Processes the data it receives from AR System clients and passes the data to the database server to be stored. Stores definitions and data for the AR System server. Serves as a repository for web applications. The web server will display the appropriate page to an authorized user.
You use the various AR System client tools for different administrative tasks. The following table summarizes your options.
Client Tool BMC Remedy User Used to 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.) Create forms and workflow. Manage AR System server settings and licenses. Modify mid tier settings for AR System servers, passwords, logging, caching, and authenticating web services. Specify home page, and preference and catalog servers. Import data into existing AR System forms. Inform users when they receive alerts. Connect to the AR System server without the graphical user interface of BMC Remedy User. Use this tool to automate tasks.
BMC Remedy Administrator Configuration Tool
BMC Remedy Import BMC Remedy Alert BMC Remedy User Command Line Interface (CLI)
Using the proper tools for the tasks
15
Client Tool BMC Remedy Administrator Command Line Interface (CLI)
Used to Connect to the AR System server without the graphical user interface of BMC Remedy Administrator. (Note that not all tasks are available through this interface.) Use this tool to automate tasks. Connect to the AR System server without the graphical user interface of BMC Remedy Import. Use this tool to automate tasks.
BMC Remedy Import Command Line Interface (CLI)
A summary of the development process

The following table summarizes the steps necessary to develop an AR System application.
Tasks Plan How
1 Analyze and determine
For more information, see: Concepts guide AR System Application Requirements Analysis, Design, and Development course
your business processes, events, user functions, and so on. 2 Create a detailed design specification. Build the Application
1 Use BMC Remedy
Administrator to create the application and the forms, workflow, and other objects in it. 2 Define groups or roles and their access permissions.
Form and Application Objects guide Configuring guide AR System 7.x: Administering Part 2 course AR System 7.x: Administering Part 3 course
Getting Started
Tasks
How
For more information, see: Optimizing and Troubleshooting guide Workflow Objects guide Configuring guide BMC Remedy Application Explorer Administrators Guide AR System 6.x: Performance Tuning and Troubleshooting course Configuring guide BMC Remedy Migrator Administrators Guide
Test and Tune 1 Select a group of people to the Application test the application. 2 Make adjustments to the UI, workflow, and server environment to maximize performance. 3 Use BMC Remedy Application Explorer to analyze and troubleshoot the application. 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.
A summary of the development process
17
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 your users 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 same area. 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 nonrequired elements.
Getting Started
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 user performed 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.
19
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
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
21
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 the Installing and Administering BMC Remedy Mid Tier guide.
Chapter
Working in the AR System development 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: Configuring guideUsing 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
Working in the AR System development environment
23
For specific information about creating applications, see the Form and Application Objects guide.
Running BMC Remedy Administrator

Only 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 aradmin 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 Demo, not demo or DEMO.
24 Chapter 2Working in the AR System development environment
Getting Started
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 Server field 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 Configuring guide 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 Configuring guide. 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.
25
BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0 Figure 2-1: 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 following figure), click the Accounts button in the Login window, or choose Tools > Account in the BMC Remedy Administrator window.
Getting Started 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>: 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.
27
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. Add Modify Delete Allows you to add a server name. Allows you to change a selected servers name. Deletes the selected server.
3 Select the Advanced Server Properties check box to set a TCP port number
or a private server number for a specific server.

TCP TCP port number of the AR System server. (AR System clients that run versions prior to 5.0 cannot access TCP port numbers under 1024.) Remote Procedure Call number, which represents the program number of the specified server. This number allows you to connect to a private server.
RPC
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 login information 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).
Getting Started
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. Modify Delete Allows you to change the users name and home directory. Deletes the selected user.
5 Click OK in the User dialog box.
29
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 want that 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, the server 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
Click Cancel to stop the login process. Connections to servers that were initially connected are dropped.
Viewing online help and other information

You 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.
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Administering the AR System server

The following sections describe topics specific to administering the AR System multithreaded server.
Starting and stopping AR System

The following procedures describe how to start and stop AR System on Windows and UNIX servers.
WindowsStarting and stopping AR System

The following procedures describe how to start and stop the AR System server.
To start the AR System 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 <server_name>.
3 Choose Action > Start.
The following services are started: AR System Monitor, which starts: BMC Remedy Action Request System Server BMC 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 AR System 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 <server_name>.
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 AR System Plug-in servers
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 AR System

If the armonitor executable exists under <installation_directory>/bin, the arsystem startup script will start armonitor, which executes the commands listed in the configuration file. If armonitor 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.
33
To start the AR System 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. System Type HP-UX Command If you chose to put the AR System server in the system startup file when prompted during installation, use:
/sbin/init.d/arsystem_<server_name> start
If you accepted the default installation directory, use:

/usr/ar/bin/arsystem_<server_name> start
If you installed into another directory, use:

<ar_install_dir>/bin/arsystem_<server_name> start
IBM AIX Linux

/usr/ar/bin/arsystem_<server_name> start

Solaris
If you chose to put the AR System server in the system startup file when prompted during installation, use:
/etc/init.d/arsystem_<server_name> start
Otherwise, use:
The following services are started: AR System Monitor, which starts: BMC Remedy Action Request System Server BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option AR System Plug-in servers 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:

Getting Started
a AR System Monitor, which stops:
BMC Remedy Action Request System Server BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option AR System Plug-in servers
b BMC Remedy Email Engine System Type HP-UX Command If you chose to put the AR System server in the system startup file when prompted during installation, use:
/sbin/init.d/arsystem_<server_name> stop

/usr/ar/bin/arsystem_<server_name> stop

<ar_install_dir>/bin/arsystem_<server_name> stop
IBM AIX Linux

/usr/ar/bin/arsystem_<server_name> stop

Solaris
If you chose to put the AR System server in the system startup file when prompted during installation, use:
/etc/init.d/arsystem_<server_name> stop
Otherwise, use:
WARNING: Do not use the kill -9 command to stop the AR System server. Doing so might leave your database in an inconsistent state.
Managing temporary server files

The 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.
35
Using the BMC Remedy Administrator windows

BMC Remedy Administrator opens in a main window that contains one or more Server windows and Application windows.
Figure 2-5: BMC Remedy Administrator main window with Server and Application windows open Title bar Menu bar Toolbars
Status bar
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.
Getting Started
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 button. 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.
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BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0 Figure 2-6: Server windowObject tab
Available server object categories (Forms selected) Available forms on server northstar
Object tab
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:<object name> will appear under a folder called FB. Objects named FB:Sub1:<object name> will appear in a Sub1 subfolder under the FB folder. In the Name column, only the <object name> 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.
Getting Started
4 Click the type of object you want to display.
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
Folders Available object types Available objects
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:<object name>, 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 as Class1:Section1:<object name>, a new Section1 folder will appear under the Class1 folder in the Prefix tab. The new object will appear under the Section1 folder.
39
To add objects to existing folders in the Prefix tab

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 objects
You 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 associated with 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, 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 (such as 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 words Partial List appear above the Name column to indicate that an option is selected in the By Form dialog box.
41
Using the Server window

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 <number> <server name>.
Selecting a server
You 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.
Figure 2-9: BMC Remedy AdministratorServer window
Getting Started
An unavailable server marked with this icon ( ) is any server that is not 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.
Using the Application window
43
To open an existing application

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 AR System 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 contained in 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 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 <Object> to save your changes.
The Save <Object> As dialog box appears.

Figure 2-11: Save <Object> As dialog box
45
5 In the <Object> Name field, enter an object name.
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. Caseinsensitivity 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 Integrating with 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 objects

When 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 <Object> As.
Getting Started
3 In the <Object> Name field, enter a new name.
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.
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 the Integrating with Plug-ins and Third-Party Products guide 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 Configuring guide. 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.
47
Renaming server objects

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.
5 If you are using source control, add a comment as part of the version history
of the object.
6 Click OK.
To rename all other AR System objects

open it.
2 In the <Object> Name field, enter a new name. 3 If you are using source control, add a comment as part of the version history
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. You cannot delete an object that is open in BMC Remedy Administrator. When you delete a form, all associated data and workflow that is not associated 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 to
delete.
WARNING: If your server preferences are set not to 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 <Object>s. 3 Click Yes at the prompt to delete the objects.
The objects are removed from the database.
Displaying details about objects

When you open a Server window or Application window for the first time, the windowss default view shows server objects alphabetically in list format. To display details about objects, choose View > Details.
49
BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0 Figure 2-12: Application windowdetails view
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 AR System 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
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 changed the object.
Note: Any user with Administrator or Subadministrator permissions can modify an object, regardless of who the specified owner is for the object.
51
3 In the New Description field, enter the appropriate information.
You can enter information about the object or about the change that you 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 AR System objects

The help text that you supply for forms and fields is available to all users in BMC 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 supported, 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 <application_label> 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.
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.
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BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0 Figure 2-16: Help Text tab
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 Form Help 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 Tier guide.
Performing batch updates on server objects

You can modify several server objects at the same time, as long as they are a grouping 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.
Figure 2-17: Batch UpdateForm Properties dialog boxPermissions tab
Performing batch updates on server objects
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BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0 Figure 2-18: Batch Update Active Link Properties dialog boxBasic tab
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 and to 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 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 the beginning 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 General Confirmations Information Defines the appearance of BMC Remedy Administrator. Defines the warnings and confirmations that you receive during BMC Remedy Administrator processing. Page page 59 page 61
Form Fonts
Defines the fonts used in the forms that you design. page 64
57
Tab Display Form Web View
Information
Page
Defines how menus or change history are displayed page 68 in BMC Remedy Administrator. Defines the default settings of the new objects that you add to a form. page 70
page 72 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 the information about the Menu Access tab of the View Properties dialog box, as discussed in the Form and Application Objects guide.
Getting Started
General preferences
Use the General tab to define the appearance of BMC Remedy Administrator.
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 appropriate 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. If selected, displays the toolbars below the BMC Remedy Administrator menu bar.
Show Toolbars
59
Save Window Position If selected, enables AR System to remember the size and and Size on Close position of BMC Remedy Administrator and its open windows when you close the tool. Otherwise, BMC 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:\<ar_install_dir>\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 Internet access through a proxy server, such as for creating filters that consume web services. A window configures the server for Internet access through a proxy server. For more information, see the Configuring guide. 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.
3 Click OK.
This preference information is saved to your AR System Administrator Preference form.
Getting Started
How date and time settings are determined in AR System

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 Properties 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, or ARTIMEONLY environment variables for UNIX. If you 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 link action uses the clients time, but a filter sets a field by the servers time. Time values 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 time values 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 time 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.
61
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. AR System clients in different 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 all machines are properly configured for their local time zones, a client in New York sees an 11:00 a.m. transaction time, while a client in California sees an 8:00 a.m. transaction time.
Confirmation preferences
Use the Confirmations tab to define warnings and confirmations that you receive during BMC Remedy Administrator processing.
To define Confirmation preferences for BMC Remedy Administrator

1 Open a Server or Application window. 2 Choose File > Preferences. 3 Click the Confirmations tab.
Getting Started Figure 2-20: Preferences dialog boxConfirmations tab
4 Select the appropriate options: If Unapplied Changes, Confirm to Close Confirm to Delete For the selected objects, if you modify an object, and then attempt to close the window without saving, the system will prompt for confirmation before closing. For the selected objects, every time you delete single or multiple objects or actions, a confirmation message is displayed before the system deletes the object or action.
Warnings: Administrator- If the check box is selected, a warning message is Only Permissions displayed when an administrator or subadministrator creates a field and does not give any group permission to view or change the field.
63
Warnings: Blank Field Labels Warnings: Duplicate Nonblank Field Labels
If the check box is selected, a warning message is displayed when an administrator or subadministrator creates one or more fields that have empty field labels. If the check box is selected, a warning message is displayed when an administrator or subadministrator creates two or more fields that have the same field label.
5 Click OK.
Form Fonts preferences

Use the Form Fonts tab to set the fonts for your forms. Design your forms using the default set of fonts that your user community uses. Make sure that all administrators working on a set of forms use the same font settings. You can choose between two default font styles: Default FontsThe system default font style is MS Sans Serif. AR FontsThe system font style for all text types is AR Sans Serif. This set of font styles looks similar to the default font set, but the characters of this font set are exactly the same size on the screen (size in pixels) regardless of screen resolution or system font setting.
Note: The AR Fonts set is generally used only for backward compatibility. In earlier versions of AR System, AR Fonts allowed you to design views that would look the same on different platforms. Improved auto scaling of screen elements reduces the need for you to use AR Fonts when designing forms for multiple platforms or different screen resolutions.
Getting Started
The following table shows the fonts that you can set for various screen elements.
Screen Element Font Description Edit Field Optional Field Defines the font for data in fields. AR Fonts AR Sans Serif 10 Default Fonts MS Sans Serif 8 MS Sans Serif 8
AR Sans Serif 10 Defines the font for tabs in page fields and for labels of optional fields. Defines the font for buttons. Defines the font for labels of fields set by AR System. Defines the font for radio (option) buttons. Defines the font for labels of required fields. AR Sans Serif 10
Push Button System Field
MS Sans Serif 8
AR Sans Serif Italic MS Sans Serif 10 Italic 8 AR Sans Serif 10 MS Sans Serif 8
Radio Button
Required Field
AR Sans Serif Bold MS Sans Serif Bold 10 8
Header Text I Header Text II Header Text III
Defines the font in text AR Sans Serif Bold MS Sans Serif Bold trim for titles. 14 12 Defines the font in text AR Sans Serif Bold MS Sans Serif Bold trim for headers. Italic 12 Italic 10 Defines an alternative font in text trim for headers. AR Sans Serif Bold MS Sans Serif Bold 12 10 MS Sans Serif 8 Arial Serif 7
Note Text Detail Text
Defines the font in text AR Sans Serif 10 trim for labels. Defines the font in text AR Sans Serif 8 trim for details.
To define Form Fonts preferences

1 Open a Server or Application window. 2 Choose File > Preferences.
65
3 Click the Form Fonts tab.

Figure 2-21: Preferences dialog boxForm Fonts tab
4 To set all of the fonts across the entire AR System, click one of the following
buttons: Default FontsMS San Serif (the AR System default). AR FontsSpecial fonts provided in AR System.
5 To change the font for a screen element, do the following: a From the Select Font For list, select the appropriate screen element.
The current font type, style, and size is shown at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box, and a sample is displayed in the Sample box. (See the previous table for a complete list of screen elements.)
Getting Started
b Click Change Font to view the Font dialog box.

Figure 2-22: Font dialog box
c Select a font, font style, and size, and then click OK. 6 To change the font of additional screen elements, repeat step 5. 7 Click OK.
The new layout will be displayed when you close and reopen the form views. This preference information is saved to your AR System Administrator Preference form.
67
Display preferences
Use the Display tab to define how menus and change history are displayed in BMC Remedy Administrator.
To define Display preferences

1 Open a Server or Application window. 2 Choose File > Preferences. 3 Click the Display tab.
Figure 2-23: Preferences dialog boxDisplay tab
Getting Started
4 Select the appropriate options: Menu: Pop-up Menu Displays standard pop-up menus in windows (the default). Hierarchical menus are displayed with arrows indicating that you must pull the mouse to the right to view lower-level menu selections. Large menus can cause display problems. Displays menus in a list box. Choose this option if you need to display large menus. When you select this option, you must also specify one of the following settings: AlwaysAll menus are displayed as list boxes, regardless of size. Only IfMenus are displayed as list boxes when item and level thresholds are exceeded. Enter the appropriate threshold values in the fields. Menus that contain fewer items and fewer levels than specified will be displayed as pop-up menus. Menus that contain more items or more levels than specified will be displayed in list boxes. Menu: Expand Items At Startup Display Change History For menus displayed in list boxes, if the check box is selected, all levels of hierarchical menus are displayed when the menu is first opened. These settings see the date order of records in the Change History tab for server objects and field properties, and in diary fields. There are no fields to map to this preference on the AR System Administrator Preferences form; it is a shared preference with BMC Remedy User (Windows and Web clients). In the AR System User Preferences form, the field is called Diary Field. Choose from the following options: Chronological (the default)Records are listed beginning with the earliest and ending with the latest. Reverse ChronologicalRecords are listed beginning with the latest and ending with the earliest. 5 Click OK.
Menu: List Box
69
Form preferences
Use the Form tab to define the default settings of the new fields you add to a form. These preferences determine whether new data, button, and trim fields appear in all views.
To define Form preferences

1 Open a Server or Application window. 2 Choose File > Preferences. 3 Click the Form tab.
Figure 2-24: Preferences dialog boxForm tab
Getting Started
4 Select the appropriate options: Add New For the items selected, new objects are added to every view of the form; otherwise, new objects are added only to the active view. For the data fields option, this includes view fields. Show Field Properties on Field Creation If the check box is selected, the properties window automatically opens in a form when a new field is created. If you do not select this check box, you must double-click a field (or click the Field Properties button at the top of the window) to open its properties window. Defines the number of pixels a field is moved (regardless of the grid setting) when you select a field and press the arrow keys on the keyboard. The default is 10.
Keyboard Move Step Size
Default QBE Match For new character fields, sets the default for how a match will be determined when a user performs a query-by-example (QBE). The options are: AnywhereFinds a match if the value entered in search mode occurs anywhere in the corresponding field. LeadingFinds a match only if the value entered in a form field in search mode occurs at the beginning of the corresponding field. EqualFinds a match only if the value entered in a form field in search mode exactly matches the value in the corresponding field. For more information about each QBE match setting, see the Form and Application Objects guide. The Default QBE Match setting does not apply to new character fields that are core fields. Core fields (Request ID, Submitter, Assigned To, Last Modified By, and Short Description) are always created with a QBE match type setting of Anywhere.
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Form Open Options: Default Locale
Specify the default locale you want when you open a form. If you leave the field blank, it will use the default locale from your operating system settings. If the locale you specify as a default does not exist for the view you are opening, the system will open the locale view that is the closest match, a view with a blank locale, or the first view in the list.
Form Open Options: Default View Type 5 Click OK.
Specify the default platform you want when you open a form.
Web View preferences

Use the Web View tab to specify which form action fields will be automatically created with each new web view of a form. For more information about form action fields, see the Installing and Administering BMC Remedy Mid Tier guide.
Note: You can include the same buttons in a toolbar on forms viewed on the Web. See the information about the Menu Access tab of the View Properties dialog box, as discussed in the Form and Application Objects guide.
To define Web View preferences

1 Open a Server or Application window. 2 Choose File > Preferences. 3 Click the Web View tab.
Getting Started Figure 2-25: Preferences dialog boxWeb View tab
4 Select the form action fields that you want to be automatically created in the
web view of a form. Fields will be displayed with the corresponding labels; workflow is added automatically to these fields in the web client to perform the standard actions. For a description of each of these fields, see the Installing and Administering BMC Remedy Mid Tier guide.
5 Click OK.
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Index
A
About box in Remedy Administrator 31 adding new fields to all views 71 source control and 46 user login accounts 29 administering servers 32 Application Owner property displaying 50 Application window closing 44 details 49 manipulating objects in 44 opening 43 using 36 applications creating 43 opening 43 tips for designing 18 AR Fonts 64 AR Path 60 arrows, setting move size 71
C
canceling login 30 case-sensitivity in databases naming objects 46 change history building 50 displaying 69 updating 51 changing object names 48 server information 26 user information 28 closing Application window 44 Server window 43 confirmation preferences 62 copying objects 46 creating objects 45
D
database case-sensitivity 46 date formats properties 60 date/time settings in AR System 62
B
batch updates 54 bulk updates 54
Index
75
defaults fonts 64 locale 72 QBE match 71 view type 72 deleting confirmation for 63 objects 48, 49 Demo user 25 deployable applications group permissions warning 47 including forms with group permissions warning 47 designing applications 18 details in Application window, viewing 49 details in Server window, viewing 49 directory, AR Path 60 display preferences 68 dragging and dropping objects 47
G
general preferences 59
H
help context-sensitive 52 forms in a browser 54 hiding 53 viewing in Remedy Administrator 31 hiding help 53 history. See change history
K
keyboard move step size 71
L
list boxes 69 locale opening form in default 72 logging in as a different user 30 canceling login 30 Remedy Administrator 24
E
expanding menu items at startup 69
F
field labels blank 64 duplicate non blank labels 64 fields form action 73 help 52 placing on form 18 web views 73 Flat Look On Forms preference 60 flat-file database 46 fonts preferences 64 form action fields 72, 73 forms deleting 49 flat look on forms 60 font preferences 64 open options 72 preferences 70
M
menus display method 68 Migrator 17
O
Object Type view 37 objects bulk updates 54 copying 46 creating 45 deleting 48, 49 displaying 37 dragging and dropping 47 help text 52 history 50 listing details 49 renaming 48, 57 summary 50
76 Index
Getting Started
objects (continued) viewing by form 40 working with 44 opening, Server window 42
P
passwords Demo 25 popup menus 69 preferences confirmation 62 defining 57 display menu method 68 form action fields 72 form font 64 forms 70 general 59 status in Account dialog box 27 web view 72 Prefix view 38 properties opening 71 proxy server settings for Java VM 60
Q
QBE match 71
Server window closing 43 described 36 details 49 manipulating objects in 44 opening 42 servers administering 32 changing 26 selecting 42 starting and stopping 32 temporary files 35 unavailable 43 show field properties on field creation 71 status bar 59 toolbars 59 source control adding server objects 46 starting Remedy Administrator 24 servers 32 status bar 59 stopping servers 32 summary, objects 50
R
relational database 46 Remedy Administrator About box 31 exiting 31 online help 31 toolbars 37 Remedy Migrator 17 renaming objects 48, 57
T
temporary server files 35 time and date settings in AR System 62 toolbars 37 showing 59
U
unapplied changes, confirm to close 63 updating batches of objects 54 usability 18 user login accounts, adding 29 users, changing 28
S
Save As command 46 saving window position and size 60 security Demo password 25 select all groups or roles 56
V
view types, opening in default 72 viewing server objects by form 40 views web 72
Index
77
W
warnings administrator-only permissions 63 blank field labels 64 duplicate non blank field labels 64 web applications help 54 web views preferences 72 windows Application 36 Object tab 37 Prefix tab 38 saving position and size 60 Server 36, 42 working with objects 44
78 Index
*46485* *46485* *46485* *46485*
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Getting Started 700

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Getting Started 700

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BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.

May 2006 Part No: 58464

BMC Software, Inc.

Understanding the AR System development process . . . . . . . 11

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

Working in the AR System development environment . . . . . . . 23

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

Installing Getting Started

Form and Application Objects

Workflow Objects Configuring

Administering BMC Remedy DSO Administering BMC Remedy Flashboards

Procedures for configuring the BMC Remedy Mid Tier. Administrators

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

Learn about the AR System Developer Community

Why should you participate in the Developer Community?

How do you access the Developer Community?

Understanding the AR System development process

Understanding the AR System development process

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

What is an AR System application?

Determining what to track

Deciding what to build

Deciding what to build

Discover problem and report it to dispatcher.

Close resolved problems and report to dispatcher.

Monitor open problems and track escalations.

14 Chapter 1Understanding the AR System development process

Using the proper tools for the tasks

BMC Remedy Administrator Configuration Tool

Using the proper tools for the tasks

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

Client Tool BMC Remedy Administrator Command Line Interface (CLI)

BMC Remedy Import Command Line Interface (CLI)

A summary of the development process

16 Chapter 1Understanding the AR System development process

A summary of the development process

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

Tips for designing applications

Helpful design tips

18 Chapter 1Understanding the AR System development process

Tips for designing applications

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

Effective user interface design

20 Chapter 1Understanding the AR System development process

Tips for designing applications

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

Accessibility for users with disabilities

22 Chapter 1Understanding the AR System development process

Working in the AR System development environment

Working in the AR System development environment

BMC Remedy Action Request System 7.0

Running BMC Remedy Administrator

Starting BMC Remedy Administrator

Logging in to BMC Remedy Administrator

To log in to BMC Remedy Administrator

24 Chapter 2Working in the AR System development environment

authentication string, as needed:

After successful login, a server window is displayed.

Running BMC Remedy Administrator

Changing login information

Changing server information

26 Chapter 2Working in the AR System development environment