Setting Up the System - General System Tools

Check Watch Folder

Content Updates

If your organisation subscribes to a HowNow content product, such as HowNow Accountants Content, it is the responsibility of the person assigned as the Content Updater to download the Content Updates. See Employee Privileges for information on how to assign a Content Updater. Depending on the product, the updates might be monthly, quarterly, annually, or as required.

If the HowNow Administrator has selected the File > Options > Updates tab settings of Automatically Check For Updates, HowNow will automatically check for available Content Updates once a day when the Content Updater logs into HowNow.

The following procedure describes how to manually check for Content Updates: 

• Select File > System Tools > General > Content Updates. The Content Update Wizard dialog will appear with a list of the available Content Updates.
  
• If no Content Updates are available, the dialogue will show the Release Number and Current - no updates are available. If Content Updates are available, click the Update button.
  
• Follow the prompts until the download process is completed.
  
• On completion of the download process, a Content Update Review dialog will appear.
  
• Choose Leave them on my review list for later review if the new or updated documents are to be reviewed OR Accept them to make them available to all team members if you want to make all of the new and updated documents made current and visible to all team members without a review (recommended option). In File > Options > Updates the HowNow Administrator can choose to Load Content as Approved.
  
• If the option selected above is Leave them on my review list for later review, the downloaded items will appear on the Content Updater’s Review list.

Convert PDF to TIF

This feature allows you to convert PDF documents to TIF files. It is primarily used to create MailScan templates from scanned PDF documents.

• Selected PDF's - Use the browse button to select the PDF document to be converted.
  
• Resolution - Choose a resolution in dots per inch that matches the resolution of your scanner. Note: The resolution of the template and the scanned documents must be the same, otherwise HowNow will be unable to recognise the document.
  
• Click the Convert button to convert the document. The result will be a new file with the same name but a .TIF extension in the same folder as the PDF document.

Display Field Editor

The Display Field Editor allows the administrator to control which fields appear on the search results list for each tab in HowNow and the order in which they appear. In addition, it allows control of which fields appear on the various selection lists in HowNow. In the case of the Contacts Tab, the editor allows new fields to be added to the contact database.

To use this option, go to File > System Tools > General > Display Field Editor

• Tab: Choose the HowHow tab (e.g. Knowledge, Records, Contacts, etc) to display its fields. Note: When creating new contact fields from the External Database Connection Wizard, the Contacts Tab will be selected automatically.
• Add Field: Available only when the Contacts Tab is selected. Displays the Display Field Details dialog and allows the creation of new contact fields. Note: To change a contact field's width, delete the field and re-add it with the new width.
• Edit Field: Displays the Display Field Details dialog and allows existing field settings to be edited.
• Delete Field: Available only when the Contact Tab is selected. Deletes the selected field. Please be extremely cautious with this option as any data stored in the field is lost.
• Change Order: To change the order in which the fields appear in the search results list, drag the field to the position required.

Display Field Details

This dialog allows display fields to be edited and in the case of the Contacts Tab, new fields to be added. Note: The fields marked with Contacts Only are only visible when adding contact fields.

• Display Title: The descriptive name of the field to be displayed. It can contain spaces.
• Field Name: Contacts only. The actual database field name. It must not contain spaces. Allow HowNow to create the name.
• Select Name: Contacts only. The field name used internally. Do not change this name unless instructed to do so by HowNow support.
• Sort Parameter: Contacts only. Optional. Only use if instructed to do so by HowNow support.
• Default Sort Field: Tick this box if this field is to be the search results default sort field.
• Field Type: Contacts only. Choose the type of the field. The options are:
  • Characters - text
  • Number - integer, no decimals
  • Decimal Number
  • Currency
  • Yes/No
  • Date
• Field Size: Contacts only. The size of the field in characters, where appropriate for the field type. Where not entered, HowNow will supply the value.
• Default Value: Contacts only. Optional. Use to enter a default value for the field.
• Display Width: The width of the field when displayed in the search results, in pixels. 100 pixels will display roughly 20 characters.
• Show on Search Results: Tick this box to show the field on the search results screen.
• Show on Select List: Tick this box to show the field on any select lists.
• Show on Contacts Other Tab: Contacts only. Tick this box to show the field on the contact details Other tab.
• Show on Reports: Tick this box to allow this field to be shown on reports.
• Search on Select List: Tick this box to allow this field to be one of the fields searched on the select dialogs.

On completion, click the OK button to save the changes or the Cancel button to close the dialog without saving.

HowNow Add-in Manager

This area is accessed from File > System Tools > General > HowNow Add-in Manager. For more information on the Add-in Manager, please see the separate section.

Software Updates

This area is accessed from File > System Tools > General > Software Updates

Updates to your HowNow software are published by Business Fitness on a regular basis. The HowNow software automatically checks for updates once each day when the HowNow Software Updater logs into HowNow (in HNX all users can be set-up to be software updaters from the setting in File > Options > Updates.

The following procedure describes how to manually check for a software update:

• If software updates are available, the Software Update Wizard dialog will appear with details of the revision status of your HowNow software.
• If no update is available, you will see a message that Your HowNow Software is up-to-date. If an update is required, click the Update button. If an update is not required at this time, click the Close button.
• When updating a number of dialog boxes will appear - the first one shows the progress of the download, if a database update is required that will be run next along with any other required components, then you will see the dialog that the Software Update Complete. 

Toolbar Applications

This area is accessed from File > System Tools > General > Toolbar Applications. For more information on Toolbar, please see the separate article.