Viewing Requests

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You view requests with Requests. The window contains the following:

View section: Shows the list of current requests.

Number: Click this heading to sort the list by request number. Click again to reverse the order (from ascending to descending or vice versa).

Requestor: Click this heading to sort the list by requestor. Click again to reverse the order.

Subject: Click this heading to sort the list by subject. Click again to reverse the order.

Apply Filter: Lets you set up a filter to select which records should be shown in the table. For more information, see Table Filters.

Details section: Shows information from the selected record.

Assignments section: Shows people assigned to this request.

Email Request section: If this request originated from an email message, this will list the contents of the message. (Email requests are only possible if you have licensed the MainBoss Service module.)

Work Orders section: Lists work orders associated with the selected request.

State History section: Contains an entry for each time the selected request changed its state. For example, this section might list when a request was created, when it was marked "in progress", and when it was closed.

New Request: Opens a window to create a new request. Fields in the new record will either be blank or assigned default values (as specified in the Defaults for Requests section).

Edit : This drop-down button offers several possible actions:

Edit: Opens an editor window to let you edit the selected record.

View: Opens an editor window where you can examine the selected record.

Print : Opens a window where you can print some or all of your requests. For more, see Printing Requests.

Close Request: Closes the currently selected work request. Close Request also has the following drop-down choices:

Close Request (With Comment): Closes the selected request, and also opens a window where you can record a comment about what you're doing.

Reopen: Reopens a request that has been closed or voided. MainBoss will also open a window where you may record a comment explaining why you're reopening the request.

In Progress: Marks the request as "in progress".

In Progress (With Comment): Marks the request as "in progress". MainBoss will also open a window where you can record a comment about what you're doing.

Void: Cancels the selected request. MainBoss will also open a window where you can record a comment explaining why you are canceling the request.

As noted above, some of the "state-change" operations open a window where you can record comments about what you're doing. This window also gives you an opportunity to record comments to be sent to the original requestor. If you have the MainBoss Service module, these comments are automatically emailed to the requestor. The comments are also recorded in the request's State History section. For further information, see Editing Request State History Records.

Search : Lets you search through the list of records for a particular record. For more information, see Searching for a Particular Record. The Search button has an accompanying drop-down list containing the following:

Find Next: Uses the same search condition(s) as your most recent search and finds the next record in the table that matches the condition(s). If the search reaches the end of the table without finding a matching record, it goes to the start of the table and continues the search.

Find Previous: Same as Find Next except that it goes backward in the table. If the search reaches the start of the table without finding a matching record, it goes to the end of the table and continues the search.

Link Work Orders: Lets you indicate that this request is associated with an existing work order. This is useful if you get several requests reporting the same problem. The first time someone submits a particular complaint, you can use New Work Order to make a work order to fix the problem. If other people complain about the same thing, you can use Link Work Orders to associate their requests with the work order you've already created. This makes it easier to keep track of which requests are associated with which work orders.

Note that it's also possible for a single request to be associated with multiple work orders. For example, you might create one work order for a short-term work-around fix, and another work order for a more permanent repair. Using Link Work Orders lets you associate the request with both work orders.

A request may be linked to any number of work orders and vice versa. When you click Link Work Orders, you get the window described in Requested Work Orders.

New Work Order: Opens a window that lets you create a work order based on the selected request. Information from the request will be copied into the new work order; however, this information can be changed if desired. For more on creating and editing work orders, see Editing Work Orders.

New Requestor Comment: Lets you record a comment for the requestor. If you have the MainBoss Service module, this comment will be automatically emailed to the requestor. If not, you will have to convey the comment to the requestor in some other way.

You can click New Requestor Comment on a request as often as you like; each time, MainBoss will give you a chance to record a comment about the request. New Requestor Comment therefore gives you a good way to keep track of problems, delays, and other special situations that arise during the course of a request, and to keep the requestor informed about these situations.

Each requestor comment is recorded in the request's State History section. For more on state histories, see Editing Request State History Records.

Refresh : Updates the list to reflect any recent changes.

Defaults for Requests section: Shows any defaults to be used when creating new requests.

Details subsection: Shows the default values that will be put into various fields when you first create a new request.

Close Preferences subsection: Shows how requests should be changed in response to any changes in a related work order. For more details, see Specifying Request State Transitions.

Edit Defaults: Opens a window to let you change the displayed default values.

Refresh : Updates the list to reflect any recent changes.

The general request viewer shows all of your requests. In many cases, you may prefer to use one of the viewers that are restricted to certain types of requests:

New requests (Requests | New Request): Requests that have just been created—see Viewing New Requests
In progress requests (Requests | In Progress Requests): Requests that someone has marked as in progress—see Viewing In Progress Requests
Closed requests (Requests | Closed Request): Requests that have been closed, either because the job was finished or because the request was rejected—see Viewing Closed Requests

For more information on requests, see Requests. For more information on creating or editing request records, see Editing Requests. For general information on table viewers, see Using Table Viewers.