Working With User Records in the Client

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In the Aeon Desktop Client, user records are viewed and managed via the User Information form. In the Aeon Web Client, user records are viewed and managed on the User Information page. This article will detail the types of information stored on each user record as well as the various processing actions available from the user's record in each client.

Overview | Accessing the User Record | Customizing the User Record | User Information, Notes, and History | Working with User Records


Overview

Use the tabs below for an overview of the user record functionality in the Aeon Desktop Client and Aeon Web Client.

Desktop Client Web Client

In the Aeon Desktop Client, the User Information form is used to view and manage user records. This form is comprised of two main ribbons: Home and Email, and seven default tabs: Detail, History, Proxies, Billing, Billing Accounts, Attachments, and Requests. An additional tab for Appointments will appear if this feature has been configured in the Aeon Customization Manager. An additional Process ribbon containing Clearing Options appears on the form when the user's clearance status is Not Cleared.

When a researcher's User Information form is opened, it automatically opens displaying the Home ribbon and the Detail tab. To reduce loading times in the Aeon Client, only the information for the Detail tab is retrieved from the system when the User Information form is opened; information for the other tabs is retrieved when those tabs are accessed.

If new default data fields added as part of an Aeon update are not visible on the User Information form, you may need to add the fields manually. See Editing Form Layout for further information.

User Information form in Aeon Desktop Client

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Accessing the User Record

Use the tabs below to learn how to access the user record for a specific user in the Aeon Desktop Client and Aeon Web Client.

Desktop Client Web Client

In the Aeon Desktop Client, you can access the User Information form for a user in any of the following ways:

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Customizing the User Record

You can customize the layout of the user record displayed in the Aeon Desktop Client or Aeon Web Client to better suit your workflow and needs. This includes adding fields to the form that are not there by default, such as the UserInfo1-5 fields and any other user-type custom fields defined in the Aeon Customization Manager. Use the tabs below to learn how to customize the user record in each client.

Desktop Client Web Client

In the Aeon Desktop Client, customized layouts for the User Information form are created and assigned to staff users using the customized staff layouts feature.

For more information, see Editing Form Layout.

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User Information, Notes, and History

User records in the Aeon Desktop Client and Aeon Web Client each contain a user details section where the detailed information for the user can be viewed or modified, a notes section where the notes for the user record are stored and added, and a user history section where several history grids are available to view information about the user's activity and changes to the user's record.

User Details | Notes | User History


User Details

User details are housed on the Detail tab of the User Information form in the Aeon Desktop Client and in the User Details section of the User Information page in the Aeon Web Client. The default information stored for each user includes a researcher's identification, contact, and address information as well as additional information and research Information. You can also add several user-defined UserInfo text fields or custom fields to the form if you want to store additional information (See Customizing the User Record above for information on modifying the fields on the user record). Use the tabs below to view the default fields in this section for each client.

Desktop Client Web Client

The user record in the Aeon Desktop Client contains several default sections on the Detail tab of the User Information form housing the user's identification, contact, address, research, and additional information. You can also view, change, or add an image to the user record from the Detail tab. Click on a section below to learn more about the default fields in each of these sections.

See Editing User Information in the Client for detailed instructions on making changes to the information stored in these fields.

Identification | Contact Information | Primary and Secondary Address | Additional Information | Research Information | Adding an Image

User details displayed on User Information form


Identification

The following default fields are included in the Identification section of the User Information Form:

Preferred Name

As of Aeon v5.1, the option to designate a preferred name has been added to the User Information form. The value in this new field will be used in lieu of the first name in the Signed In Users grid on the main form, and on the Name field of the Request form. The preferred name is included in the following capacities in the Aeon Desktop Client:

  • Searches: Preferred Name is a search parameter for users on the Main form, Activity form, and the Proxies tab of the Users form and will be displayed in all results grids.
  • Email Templates: The User.FirstOrPreferredName tag is available for email templates. This tag will use the preferred name if it exists, and the first name otherwise.
  • Web Pages: The Preferred Name field is updateable on the NewUserRegistration, NewAuthRegistration, and ChangeUserInformation web pages using the <#PARAM name="PreferredName"> tag.
  • Request Forms: The preferred name will display instead of their first name in the Request For dropdown field on request forms for users who have a value in this field. Preferred Name will also display as a column in the Researcher grid of the Request For control located on the Request form and Request ribbon in the Client.
Preferred Name is not included on the User Information form by default and will need to be added via a customized Client layout template.

Contact Information

Default contact information includes the researcher's phone number, fax number, email address, and preferred notification method.

Primary Address and Secondary Address

Fields in these sections hold the address, city, state, ZIP code, and country information for the researcher's primary and secondary addresses.


Additional Information

This section holds information important to the Special Collections department:

  • Department
  • Status
  • Request Limit: Entering an individual request limit here overrides a global or status-based request limit.
  • Expiration Date
  • Last Changed Date: The date/time value for the last time the user edited the user record.
  • Clearance Status: Values can be Cleared, Not Cleared, Blocked, or Disavowed. See User Clearance and Reading Room Sign In Options below for more information on setting this value.

Research Information

Researchers can choose to provide staff with any research topics of interest and designate them shareable with other researchers by checking the Shareable checkbox.


Adding An Image

If you would like to include photographic images of your users for security purposes you can add an image under the Details tab of the User Information form. Double-click on the generic image space in the Details section of the form (or right-click and choose Select Image), find the image you want to use, and import it into the User Information form. The image file is saved in the database. Any changes to the image, such as editing or replacing the image, save the image with a new Image ID and are tracked in the User Change History with the new image created for the user in the Entry field.

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Aeon Authentication Checkbox

The Aeon Authentication checkbox indicates whether a customer uses Aeon authentication or a different default authentication method as configured in the WebAuthType customization key in the Aeon Customization Manager (LDAP, PatronAPI, etc.). Staff can override the value of the authentication method for the user set by the WebAuthType key by checking the Aeon Authentication checkbox on the user record. This is useful when you are using LDAP, PatronAPI Exclusive, Aeon Exclusive authentication, etc. as defined by the WebAuthType key, and want to create a dummy user to test your web pages or if there is an occasion to override the default value and assign a value of Aeon.

Checking the checkbox sets the user's authentication to Aeon and the user can access the web interface by creating an account login and password. Unchecking the checkbox sets the user's authentication to the default as configured in the WebAuthType key. The Users. The AuthType field in the database is set to either Aeon or Default depending upon whether the checkbox is checked (Aeon) or unchecked (Default).

Note: This field is present on the user record in the Aeon Desktop Client by default but must be manually added to the user record in the Aeon Web Client.


Notes

Notes associated with the user record are housed on the Detail tab of the User Information form in the Aeon Desktop Client and in the Notes section of the User Information page in the Aeon Web Client. Staff can use the Notes grid to add or delete notes from the user record. Use the tabs below to learn how to use the this section in each client.

Desktop Client Web Client

In the Aeon Desktop Client, automatic system notes are held in the grid at the bottom of the Detail tab on the User Information form. Automated notes hold information such as when a researcher is cleared by staff. New notes can also be manually created and added to the user's record by right-clicking in the Note grid and selecting Add Note. Notes in the grid can be deleted by right-clicking on the note and selecting the Delete Note option.

Notes grid highlighted on User Information form

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User History

In the Aeon Desktop Client, the History tab in the User Information form tracks all changes made to user records, as well as the user's reading room and email history. It tracks changes made from within both the Client and via the web interface. In the Aeon Web Client, this information is tracked in the History, Change History, Reading Room History, and Emails grids on the User Information page. Click on a section below to learn more about the information tracked in each history grid in the client. 

Accessing User History | User History Grid  | User Change History Grid | Reading Room History Grid | Email History Grid


Accessing User History

Click on a tab below to learn how to access the user history grids in the Aeon Desktop Client and Aeon Web Client.

Desktop Client Web Client

To access the user history grids in the Aeon Desktop Client, click on the History tab of the User Information form:

History tab highlighted on User Information form

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User History Grid

All changes to user records are tracked in the User History grid for security purposes. In the Aeon Web Client, this grid is called the History grid. This grid includes changes to a user's clearance status, photo image changes, staff logins to user accounts, and changes made to any user information from the client and the web interface. Each entry shows the date and time the change was made, the type of change made, whether the change was made through the client or web interface, and the staff user (or System) making the change. Click on a tab below to view an image of this grid in each client.


User Change History Grid

Any changes made to a user's information, including uploaded images, status, expiration date, and password changes, are tracked in the User Change History grid. In the Aeon Web Client, this grid is called the Change History grid. Click on a tab below to view an image of this grid in each client.


Reading Room History Grid

All sign in and sign out activity is recorded in the Reading Room History grid. Each entry in the grid tracks the user's time in, time out, and reading room and location, if you have configured multiple reading room locations in the Customization Manager. In the Aeon Web Client, this grid also tracks which staff member has signed a user in or out and if the user is currently marked away by default. The staff user sign in/sign out information can also be displayed in the Aeon Desktop Client by adding Signed In By and Signed Out By columns to your Reading Room History grid. When changing the location for a user, the Signed In By field is also updated to reflect the staff member assigning the location. Click on a tab below to view an image of this grid in each client.


Email History Grid

User-type emails sent to researchers are tracked in the Email History grid. In the Aeon Web Client, this grid is called the Emails grid. The information tracked for each email includes the date of the email, the type of email, reference information (i.e., the username of the user to whom the email was sent), the To address, the From address, CC and BCC information, the email's subject line, the username of the staff user who sent the email (or System if the email was system generated), the status of the email, and any notes such as information if the email was canceled or failed to send. In the web client, the Reply To information for the email is also tracked by default. You can use this grid to view the full body of each email sent to the user. Click on a tab below to view an image of this grid in each client.

Desktop Client Web Client

In the Aeon Desktop Client, you can click on a row in the Email History grid to view the full body of the email in the panel below:

Email History grid highlighted in desktop client

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Working with User Records

In the Aeon Desktop Client, the actions available for the user's record are displayed in various ribbons at the top of the User Information form. In the Aeon Web Client, these actions are located in the Action menu dropdown  (Action Menu Icon)  at the top of the User Information page.

Administrative ActionsSending Email | User Clearance and Reading Room Sign In Options | Managing Appointments | Managing Requests | Configuring Proxies (Desktop Client Only)Managing Billing (Desktop Client Only) | User Attachments (Desktop Client Only)


Administrative Actions

Administrative actions can be performed from a user's record to save any changes made to the user's details, change the user's username (Aeon Desktop Client only), change the user's password, print the user's record (Aeon Desktop Client only), or logon to the Aeon web interface as the user. Use the tabs below to learn how to perform these administrative actions in the Aeon Desktop Client and Aeon Web Client.

Note: The Aeon Desktop Client must be used to change the user's username or print the user record. 
Desktop Client Web Client

In the Aeon Desktop Client, the Manage group located in the Home ribbon of the User Information form includes the following administrative options for managing the user record:

Buttons in Manage group on Home ribbon of the User Information form

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Sending an Email to a User

Options are available for sending an email to the user from a user's record. You can opt to either use a pre-defined email template to automatically populate the content of the email or create the content for the email manually using a blank template. Use the tabs below to learn how to use this functionality in the Aeon Desktop Client and Aeon Web Client.

Desktop Client Web Client

In the Aeon Desktop Client, you can create, cancel or send an email to the user from the Email ribbon on the User Information form.

See Emailing a User from the Client for more detailed information on using this feature.

Email Ribbon on User Information form

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User Clearance and Reading Room Sign In Options

Actions can be performed from a user's record to change the user's clearance status and to sign the user in and out of reading rooms. Use the tabs below to learn about the user clearance and sign-in actions available in the Aeon Desktop Client and Aeon Web Client.

Desktop Client Web Client

The clearance options available on the User Information form in the Aeon Desktop Client will vary depending on the user's current clearance status.

Uncleared Users | Cleared, Blocked, and Disavowed Users


Uncleared Users

A Process ribbon will display on the User Information form for users at a status of Not Cleared status that includes these clearing options: Clear User, Block User, Disavow User, Merge User and Mark User Inactive:

Process ribbon.png


Cleared, Blocked, and Disavowed Users

For users at Cleared, Blocked, or Disavowed statues, these clearance options will be located in the Access group of the Home ribbon on the User Information form. An Unclear User option will also be present to set the user's status back to Not Cleared, if necessary. Next to the clearance options, the Sign In, Sign Out, and Away buttons will be displayed allowing you to sign the user in and out of a reading room or set a currently signed-in user to Away. Note that these sign in options do not display for users at a status of Not Cleared.

Access group Home ribbon.png

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Managing Appointments for a User

The user record in the Aeon Desktop Client and Aeon Web Client can be used to view and process a user's existing appointments and to create new appointments for a user. Use the tabs below to learn about the options for viewing and managing a user's appointments from the user record in the Aeon Desktop Client and Aeon Web Client.

Desktop Client Web Client

As of Aeon v5.1, the User Information form in the Aeon Desktop Client will display a New Appointment button on the Home ribbon and as well as an Appointment tab for managing a user's appointments if a reading room has been configured for appointments in the Aeon Customization Manager.

For more detailed information about these options, please see Managing Appointments from the User Information Form.

Appointments tab.png

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Managing Requests for a User

The user record in the Aeon Desktop Client can be used to view and process a user's existing requests and to create new requests for a user. In the Aeon Web Client, the user's record can be used to view a list of the user's existing requests, however requests cannot be processed or created from the web client. Use the tabs below to learn about the options for viewing and managing a user's requests from the user record in the Aeon Desktop Client and Aeon Web Client.

Desktop Client Web Client

In the Aeon Desktop Client, you can create a new request for a user using the New Request button on the Home ribbon of the User Information form. You can view a user's existing requests using the Requests tab on the User Information form. When this tab is selected, additional Process and Bundle ribbons will be displayed which contain various options for processing a user's existing requests. 

Creating a New Request | Processing Existing Requests via the Request Tab | User and Researcher Information on Request Lists


Creating a New Request

Click the New Request button located on the Home ribbon of the User Information form to open a blank Request form and create a new transaction or photoduplication request. If the user has been disavowed this button will be inactive. You can also click the bottom half of the New Request button to access the New Requests from File option (see Create multiple requests in the Client from an Excel file for more information on using this feature).

New Request button


Processing Existing Requests via the Request Tab

The Request tab on the User Information form houses a list of the researcher's request transactions in a grid. Displayed in columns within the request list are all available fields from the Transactions, Queues, Users, and Activities tables. You can see, for instance, the Transaction Number, Transaction Date, Title, Author, Status, and Activity title if the request is associated with an Activity. If your institution has multiple locations, the site field shows you the site to which the request is assigned. Double-clicking on a request within the grid will open the corresponding Request form. When the Request tab is selected, the Process and Bundle ribbons will be displayed which contain various options for processing the requests displayed in the grid.

Process Ribbon | Bundle Ribbon

Request tab


Process Ribbon

The Process Ribbon on the Request tab allows you to process requests from the User Information form:

Request_Process.png

Next Step Processing Options

The Next Step menu contains a list of actions you can perform on the requests. The menu automatically shows which options are allowed for the selected request(s); options not allowed are disabled. Clicking one of the Next Step buttons performs that action on the selected request(s). If none of the Next Step options apply to a selected request, none of the options will be enabled. If you select more than one request and the selected request(s) have no Next Step options in common, none of the options will be enabled. 

The available transaction Next Step options are:

  • Print Callslip
  • Check Out Item
  • Reshelve Item
  • Item Reshelved
  • Place Item on Hold
  • In Photoduplication

The available photoduplication Next Step Options are:

  • Awaiting Delivery
  • Item Delivered

The Active Requests Toggle Button

The Active Requests toggle button in the Options menu is toggled on by default so that when the User form loads, only active requests are displayed in the grid. This button is ON when highlighted. To view all requests, click the Active Requests toggle button off. Requests from the following transaction queues are not displayed when the Active Requests toggle button is on:

  • Request Finished
  • Cancelled by Staff
  • Cancelled by User
  • Request Merged
  • Imported From Legacy System

Printing

The Print Request button prints a request slip for the selected request(s). From this menu, you can also reprint a callslip or print a digitization request.

Routing

The Routing menu allows you to perform various routing functions:

  • Route: Route selected request(s) to another status in the workflow.
  • Cancel: Cancel the selected request(s). Clicking this button displays a menu to select a reason for the cancellation and where you can optionally choose to send the user an Item Cancellation email. 
  • Add Flag: Add a request flag to the selected request(s).
  • Merge: Consolidate multiple requests for the same citation into one request.
  • Clone to Current User: Clone a selected request to the current user.
  • Clone to Another User: Clone a selected request to another user.

Request Associations

The Association menu allows you to perform the following functions (appointment controls will only display if a reading room has been configured for appointments in the Customization Manager):

  • Request For: Associate the selected request(s) with an Activity or with one of the user's researchers. 
  • Appointment: Associate the selected request(s) with one of the user's existing appointments.
  • Remove Appointment: Remove the associated appointment with the selected request(s).

Bundle Ribbon

The Bundle ribbon on the Request tab allows you to Assign selected request(s) to a bundle or Remove the request(s) from a bundle. Clicking the Assign button will open a dropdown menu from which you can add the request to an existing bundle or create a new bundle for that request.

Bundle.png


User and Researcher Information on Request Lists

Both User and Researcher information displays on Request lists viewed from the User Information form, status queues, or search results lists. On this image, the column grids have been rearranged from the default view to show some of the User and Researcher Information.

Request_List_User_Info.png

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Managing a User's Proxies (Desktop Client Only)

The Proxies tab holds the form that allows you to add both Researchers and Proxies to work with a given user. Add a Researcher or a Proxy by searching for the Username and selecting the User from among the Search Results. Once you have clicked on a user in Search Results, choose to Add as Researcher or Add as Proxy from the Proxies ribbon. The selected user will appear in the appropriate Researchers or Proxies grid. To remove a Researcher or Proxy, click on the user and select Remove

See Reviewing and Working with Requests for more information about Proxy accounts.

Proxies_Tab.png


Managing Billing (Desktop Client Only)

In the Aeon Desktop Client, you can manage billing for a user from the User Information form using the options on the Billing and Billing Accounts tabs.

The Billing Tab | The Billing Accounts Tab

The Billing Tab

The Billing tab allows you to view all outstanding photoduplication charges by transaction number and print a statement showing the invoice total, any payments applied, and the remaining balance due for each photoduplication order. You can view balances and print statements for multiple transactions by clicking on the transactions you want to include in the Billing grid. This grid shows only those photoduplication transactions that contain a remaining balance. Photoduplication orders that have been paid in full will not be displayed on this form.

Billing.png

Print Statement

Use the Print Statement button to print a statement showing the outstanding balance and details of any selected unpaid invoices. The default form also displays total charges, total payments and total amount due for all selected invoices. The print template used for this feature is PrintInvoiceStatement.doc. The xls form is InvoiceStatementPrintQueue.xls. It is controlled by the PrintInvoiceStatementDoc customization key.

To support the functionality of the sections in this form, the form was created with substantial use of IF, MERGESEQ, and QUOTE. This "hides" most of the document code in tags. To quickly see all of the templates, you must change an option in Word to show field codes. Instructions on how to do this vary by Word version.

In Word 2010, click the File ribbon and choose the Options menu. In the popup, click on Advanced and then check off Show field codes instead of their values under Show Document Content. Alternatively, select all (Ctrl-A), right-click, and click Toggle Field Codes.

Previewing the file before merging does not accurately represent the results of the merge. Unlike our other word docs, you must complete a merge to new documents to see the actual final output. Sites using a currency than the US dollar ($) will need to modify the template (PrintInvoiceStatement.docx) to change the symbol appropriate for their region. This is done by toggling field codes and changing the symbol for both the Subtotal and PaymentAmount fields.

The Billing Accounts Tab

Staff can associate a Billing Account with a user on the User form under the Billing Accounts tab. This tab will list any current Billing Accounts and will allow staff to search for other accounts. Any number of billing accounts may be associated with a user. When a patron is removed from a Billing Account, any of the patron's requests that are associated with that account will retain that association, so past requests will not be adversely affected by changes to the patron's account. If two patrons are merged, the account associations of the disavowed user will be copied to the new user.

For more information on this feature, see Billing Accounts

Billing_Accounts.png


Managing Attachments (Desktop Client Only)

An Attachments tab is available on the User Information form in the Aeon Desktop Client, which shows all attachments associated with a user. Multiple files can be attached to a user record. Files are stored in the database. When the Attachments tab is opened, an Attachments ribbon will display on the User Information form containing options for managing the user's attachments.

The Attachments Tab

The Attachements tab displays two grids when the tab is opened on the user record:

Attachments tab highlighted on User Information form

  • The Attachments grid on the left shows all available attachments for the user. Each entry for an attachment in the grid will display the original filename, file size, when the file was attached, and the username of the staff user who uploaded the file.
  • The Attachment History grid on the right tracks changes to the user's attachments. A user history entry is added each time an attachment is added, updated, or deleted. For convenience, all attachment history (regardless of the attachment selected in the Attachments grid to the left) is displayed on the Attachments form. Note that the attachment history is also displayed in the general User History grid as well on the User History tab.
The Attachments Ribbon

When the Attachments tab is opened, the Attachments ribbon will display the following options:

Attachments ribbon highlighted on User Information form

  • Add Attachment: To add a new attachment, click the Add Attachment button. An open file dialog will be displayed allowing the user to select a file to upload. If the user already has an attachment with the same filename, the original attachment will be updated with the contents of the new file and an attachment history entry is added to indicate that the attachment was updated.
  • Delete Attachment: To remove an attachment, select the attachment record to remove and click Delete Attachment.
  • View Attachment: To view an attachment, select the attachment to view. The file will be downloaded to a temporary location on the staff machine to view. The attachment file will be opened using the default application associated with the file extension. If the file was downloaded successfully but a default application is not registered for the file extension or another error is found when attempting to open the file, the directory where the file was downloaded will instead be opened to allow staff to handle the file manually.

 

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