Getting the distance between Depots

TrakIT can use the Google Maps API to calculate the driving distance between two depots. To enable this feature, make sure you have set the locations of the depots in Admin > Geography & Access. Only Administrators have access to do this.

On the Work Order where you need to calculate the distance, make sure the Origin and Destination depots are set in the Header. Then, click 'Depot Distance' from the WO Menu.

This opens a popup displaying the Origin and Destination Depot locations as well as the addresses (if found).

It displays the kilometer distance as well as the driving time between the two locations. The driving time is based on current traffic conditions. Click the Open Routing in Google Maps link below the map to open another window in which you can see the full details of the route and also plan alternate routing.

If any of the depots is missing from the work order or doesn't have its location set, the distance cannot be calculated.

For any questions or information, please contact TrakIT Support.

Entity Data Fields

With the latest update, we have added Data Fields for Entities. This option has been added for all the entities under Entity management and is to be used for storing any extra data about entities that isn't present in the header fields.

For example: Contract Expiry, Account Manager, Secondary Address, Etc. You  can create any number for data fields for each Entity Type.

To create Entity Data Fields, go to Admin > Master Tables and select "Data Field Definitions". Select "Entity Fields" and then the Entity type from the drop downs. Click the create button to add new Fields each with a unique name and code. 

All these data fields will be shown under Entity Data tab on the Entity Detail page for specific entities.

For any questions or concerns, please contact TrakIT Support.

Search a Number Range in Data

With the latest update, you can now search for a number range in  the Data fields of work orders. This option has been added to the Ops page Data filter that can be added using the customize filter option.

Select the Data Field you want to search for and select the 'Search Mode' as  Number Range.

The following options will be available:

• Equal To - The data value should be exactly equal to the specified value [ = ]
• Not Equal To - The data value can be any value except the specified value [ <> ]
• More Than - The data value should be more than the value specified  [ > ]
• Not Less Than - The data value should not be less than the value specified [ >= ]
• Less Than - The data value should be less than the value specified [ < ]
• Not More Than - The data value should not be more than the value specified [ <= ]
• In Range - The data value should be in between Min and Max values (inclusive)
• Outside Range - The data value should not be between Min and Max (inclusive)

Enter the number in the box provided and click Search. In the case of "In Range" and "Outside Range", enter the Min and Max values. Only work orders that have the relevant search conditions met will be displayed. Please note that this search criteria will only work for numeric fields and computed fields that have numbers in them.

For any questions or concerns, please contact TrakIT Support.

Know Whats Happening When

With the latest update of TrakIT, we've added a new page to help view events on a Calendar. What you see is a simple calendar (starting with the current month) with each date showing the number of events happening on that date.

A sample calendar displaying the number of "Container Cleared" on each date is show below.

Clicking the date displays the complete list of events for that day, including the links to the work order and the workflow it belongs to.

The calendar also includes "Info Only" events and Data fields that store dates. You can filter the figures by the Workflow or the Master Event.

As this is a new feature, please do let us know your suggestions or feedback for improvement. If you are facing any issues, please contact TrakIT Support.

Multi-select Data Fields & More

Among the many updates and features released in TrakIT over the last month, a few useful ones are described below.

Multi-select Data Fields

As you're aware the Data field for a workflow could hold a list of items from which one could be selected. With the latest update, you can allow the Data field to hold multiple items.

When defining a list, just specify the Multi-Select field with the maximum number of items that can be selected or select 'Unlimited' for no limit.

Once this is done, you will be able to select multiple items for the Data field. Each item selected is displayed on a separate line. The selection of items is high-lighted on the drop-down list and clicking on the item in the list toggles the selection of the item.

Shown below is an example where a user has selected 4 out of the many documents available on the list.

Please note that manual entry is not possible in a multi-select list. If manual entry is required, set it as a single item list and select the option "Non-list Items Allowed" when defining the Data field in the workflow.

Floating Save Button

With the number Events and Data fields growing, it became cumbersome to keep scrolling up to save changes made to events or data fields. This is now solved by a floating 'Save' button that pops up when the original Save button scrolls out of view.

The floating Save button is only visible when on then Events or Data tab.

Commodity Auto-complete

The commodity field is a free-text field present in work orders. When making the same entries again is different work orders, it is easy to make spelling mistakes or write the commodity is a different way. With the new auto-complete feature, you can pick from the previously entered commodities to save time and maintain consistency in data.

If a new commodity needs to be entered, simple ignore the list and enter the commodity as usual.

RegEx Validation

Data fields can now be validated using Regular Expressions. A Regular Expression is a sequence of characters that defines a pattern against which the user input can be validated against.

Regular Expressions can help validate user input against a variety of cases such as phone numbers, email addresses, special numbers, codes, numeric expressions, and many other cases. 

This can get a bit technical so TrakIT Support will assist you in setting up any validation expressions your require. A full explanation of Regular Expressions is beyond the scope of this blog. For guidance on what RegEx is, see Regular Expressions.There are hundreds of tutorials on the subject.

Close or Cancel Work Orders 

Event / Data actions can now close or cancel work orders based on conditions and schedules. For more details on setting up Actions for Events and Data fields, see Automation With Event/Data Actions. In addition to sending, emails or messages, you can now choose the action to close or cancel the work order.

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There are many other changes, features, fixes that we keep developing and releasing. If you have a cool feature that you'd like TrakIT to have, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'll do our best to implement it.

And as always, please contact TrakIT Support for any assistance required.