From COMPanion

Video Tutorial: Utilities Window - Help Video
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- NOTE -
The Utilities window has been drastically improved for Alexandria v6.21 and Textbook Tracker v4.21 (and higher). If you haven't yet updated to the newest version or are intentionally running an outdated version of Alexandria/Textbook Tracker (v6.20/v4.20 or prior), you can access the previous Utilities window documentation by clicking here.

- NOTE -
If you are ever encouraged to Archive before performing a utility, the correct response is always Yes.

Utilities

Most Circulation window commands and operations are designed to modify individual pieces of data one entry at a time; utilities, however, can change large amounts of information in your database at once.

The Utilities window allows you to create your own set of essential utilities; we provide the general templates that help you build utilities that modify, transfer, remove, update, or verify the information you require. Once you've created custom utilities, there won't be a need to adjust the particulars very often.

The following sections provide a brief overview of the Utilities window and then guides you through the process of creating a utility.

The Utilities Window In More Detail

At first glance, faced with an abundance of tabs and large fields crammed with lists of utility names, the Utilities window may likely seem overwhelming. Don't panic! Although it may look complicated, the Utilities interface was designed with simplicity in mind; placing everything in a single, easily navigable window that allows you to quickly find, modify, create, and run utilities.

Additionally, the Utilities window allows you to customize utilities so that they only modify, clear, or clean required information: records of interest, title/copy policies, patron histories, and all types of aquisitions. You can also schedule utilities to rebuild, update, or verify your database, etc.

In order to become a utilities wizard, there are only three essentials you need to understand: category searching, utility templates, and creating custom utilities.

The Utilities window was developed using the familiar three-panel layout found in many of the application's main management windows.

• The left-hand side of the window is home to the utility Categories pane, containing an organized list of all existing utility categories (e.g. Titles) and subcategories (e.g. Catalog). Selections from this pane act as filters, allowing you to narrow your focus and show only relevant utilities.
• The upper-right section of the window contains the utility Tools/Search pane along with the Utility Selection pane (i.e. the Utilities and Saved tabs), which allow you to select the specific utility you would like to view, modify, or run.
• The Selected Utility pane—the bottom-right area of the window—contains options for the highlighted (i.e. selected) utility, housed in the following tabs: Overview, Selection, and Schedule.

Utility Category Filters

The first step in performing useful utilities is picking the proper utility category. The utility Categories pane on the left-hand side of the window is a collection of categories and subcategories that can reduce the number of results that appear in the Utility Selection pane (i.e. the Utilities and Saved tabs) on the right. You are able to expand or contract associated subcategory sections by clicking on the icon (“”, “”) located to the left of the main category name. Selecting (highlighting) one of the main category (or subcategory) names (e.g. Titles ) will reveal all of the utilities available for that category (or subcategory). For example, if you want to run an Advance Grade utility, you can't do it with the Circulation category selected—that's a Patrons (category) utility that you'll find under the General subcategory. Selecting the All Utilities from the top of the categories list will populate the Utilities and Saved tabs with all available utility options.

The Search bar (described in the Tools / Search Pane section below) works in close conjunction with the utility Categories pane. In some ways, the Search bar acts as the consummate utility filter—usurping the Categories pane; operators may find themselves never using the utility Categories filters, preferring to use the Search bar instead.

The Search bar is used to further reduce the number of results shown in the Utilities and Saved tabs. For example, if you have the All Utilities category selected from the utility Categories pane and then type “budget” in the Search bar, you will only see utilties related to budgets in the Utilities and/or Saved tabs. The Search bar is described in more detail in the following section.

Utility Categories

• Titles—Title utilities allow you add, modify, and remove information for any number of titles in your collection. For example, you can remove boundless titles or change a group of title policies.

• Copies—Copy utilities allow you to add, modify, and remove information for any number of copies in your collection. For example, you can remove lost copies, replace copy locations, or change call number prefixes on copious copies.

• Patrons—Patron utilities allow you to modify or remove packs of patrons. For example, you can change patron policies, renew expired cards, or update expiration dates.

• Acquisitions—Acquisition utilities are used to remove select budget, order, route, subscription, and vendor information.

• Circulation—Circulation utilities are used to clear patron histories or verify and update your circulation records, and correct batches of incorrect due dates.

• Authority Control—These utilities help to create and clear your authority control entries.

• Database—Perhaps the most important utilities of all, these utilities correct problems with the record structures saved on disk; they don't just look at individual pieces of data—they look at entire records. If you've had a power outage (or other serious problems with your hardware), you may need to perform some of these utilities. Please keep in mind that the “mini-rebuilds” which occur during launch after a system failure or during certain upgrades are not the same as the “full” Rebuild offered in these utilities and does not circumvent the need for frequnetly performing this utility. The Verify subcategory of the Database utilities are used to verify data files and make sure that internal relationships are valid and logical. When bad relationships are identified, they are corrected. Verification does not rebuild database structures or indexes.

Utilities Tools / Search Pane

The greater half of the Utilities window is mostly dedicated to the currently selected utility (filtered using the utility Categories pane on the left), which contains all of the utility’s configurable options and editable fields.

Topping this section of the window is a long, rectangular area containing the Save All and Revert All buttons^[1], the Run button, the Online Help icon, the Lock/Unlock icon and the primary Actions icon which performs functions related to the selected utility.

Unlock/Lock Icon (“”)—When the Utilities window is opened, the default state of the Saved tab is usually “locked”. When locked, Saved utilities can be viewed and performed, but modification to any of the utility settings is disabled until unlocked. Clicking the lock icon unlocks the Saved tab; it stays unlocked until you click the lock icon again or the window is closed. You can choose whether you want to have the Utilities window automatically locked or unlocked by default using the Database Management Windows Locked By Default option in the Site Information System Preferences.

Actions (“”)—The gear/cog menu contains utility-specific functions and other tools; the options available in the Actions menu differ based on whether the Utilities or Saved tab is selected.

• Lock/Unlock Utility (Ctrl+U) (+U)—The lock icon only appears in the Tools / Search pane when the Saved tab is selected and prevents an operator from making any changes to the currently selected utility. The Saved tab will remain unlocked until an operator makes the Lock / Unlock Utility (Ctrl+U) (+U) selection again, or the window is closed.

• Save Utility (Ctrl+S) (+S)— Saves only the currently selected (i.e. highlighted) Saved utility.

• Create New Saved Utility / Duplicate (Ctrl+D) (+D)—Duplicates the currently selected utility and asks that you provide a new name; available in both Utilities and Saved tabs.

• Save All Utilities (Ctrl+Shift+S) (++S)—Saves all changes made to multiple Saved utilities in the Utilities window; this option only appears when changes have been made to the selected—or any formerly selected—utility in the Saved tab.

• Revert Utility—Reverts only the currently selected (i.e. highlighted) Saved utility.

• Revert All—Reverts all changes made to multiple Saved utilities in the Utilities window; this option only appears when changes have been made to the selected—or any formerly selected—utility in the Saved tab.

• Add to/Remove From Favorites—This option will “favorite” or “un-favorite” the selected (i.e. highlighted) utility in the Saved tab; essentially, this option will either check or uncheck the Favorite box in the Overview tab of the selected utility.

• Delete Selected Utility (Ctrl+R) (+R)—This selection completely removes the selected (i.e. highlighted) utility from the Saved tab. This can not be undone, so think twice before making this selection.

• Delete All Utilities Shown—This selection will completely remove all of the utilities currently shown in the Saved tab; those in the Utilities tab will remain unaffected. This can not be undone, so use caution before making this selection.

Search—The Search bar, in correlation with the utility Categories pane, can be used to further filter the list of results shown in the Utilities and Saved tabs. To illustrate, if you select (highlight) the Acquisitions category from the utility Categories pane and then type “remove” in the Search bar, you would only see acquisition-related removal utilities in the Utility and Saved tabs. If you have All Utilities selected from the Categories pane and then type “remove” into the Search bar, you would see results for all types of removal utilities.

Faded text appears in the Search bar prior to entering text of your own to remind you what utility category/subcategory filter is being applied to your results. For example, if you've selected Patrons (category) ⇒ Saved Lists (subcategory), the default shadow text in the Search box will read: Patrons ⇒ Saved Lists.

If you would like to search the entire collection of utilities you will first need to select (highlight) All Utilities from the top of the utility Categories section and then provide a term in the Search bar. For instance, if you’re looking for a simple Patron History utility and don’t want to bother with the category/subcategory filters, simply select All Utilities and start typing “Patron History” in the Search bar.

- NOTE -
The Search bar is extremely helpful in that it actually searches every editable field within the Overview, Selection, and Schedule tabs and even multiple fields if search terms are separated by a space.

Filter by Favorite (“”)—This button only appears when the Saved tab is selected and will only show currently favorited utilities. Once clicked, the filter remains enabled until it is manually disabled.

Filter by Site Code (“”)—This button only appears when the Saved tab is selected. Once clicked, it opens the Site Filter window, allowing you to enter a valid site ID code. After typing the first few characters, the site ID code will auto-complete—provided you have a matching site in your Site Management System Preferences. After clicking Add Filter, every search performed from the Search bar will filter your results by matching Site ID Code(s). The filter remains enabled until it is manually disabled.

Filter by Operator (“”)—This button only appears when the Saved tab is selected. Once clicked, it opens the Operator Filter window, allowing you to enter a valid operator(s) name. After typing the first few characters, the operator name will auto-complete—provided you have a matching operator in your Operators System Preferences. After clicking Add Filter, every search performed from the Search bar will filter your results by matching Operator(s) names. The filter remains enabled until it is manually disabled.

Save All—Saves all changes made to multiple Saved utilities in the Utilities window; only appears when changes have been made to the selected—or any formerly selected—utility in the Saved tab.

Revert All—Reverts all changes made to multiple Saved utilities in the Utilities window; this option only appears when changes have been made to the selected—or any formerly selected—utility in the Saved tab.

Run—Clicking the Run button at the top of the window opens the Operation Management window and immediately performs the selected utility. The Run button is replaced by the Revert All and Save All buttons once a utility record has been modified and will remain that way until the utility is saved. Every time you perform a utility, it is documented in your Transaction log.

Online Help (“”)—Performs an online Utilities help query in an external browser window—corresponding to the current utility selection.

Utility Selection Pane

Directly below the current utility Tools / Search pane is the utility Selection pane, home of the Utilities and Saved tabs. Remember, the utilities that appear in the Utilities and Saved tabs directly relate to the category (or subcategory) that is selected from the utility Categories pane on the left-hand side of the window and/or to the text that is entered into the Search bar.

The Utilities tab

The Utilities tab shows a complete list of all available utility templates. These templates store no customized selections or settings and should not be confused with default Saved utilities.

The Utilities tab houses the complete list of all available utility types and their related categories; essentially, an exhaustive utility depository, containing every existing utility template—used for quickly performing an “ad-hoc”^[2] or operator-created (and conveniently saved) utility for future use. These templates store no customized selection settings and should not be confused with default (or operator-created) Saved utilities. If you haven't been able to locate the utility template you are looking for, chances are you will find it here.

Using the utility Categories pane, the Utilities tab results can be filtered to only show utilities pertaining to selected categories/subcategories. For example, if you select Acquisitions from the utility Categories pane, the Utilities tab will only display Acquisitions utilities; if you select an Acquisitions subcategory (e.g. Budgets, Orders, Routes, etc), your results will be further refined.

Selecting a utility type from the utility Selection pane automatically populates the bottom portion of the window (i.e. Selected Utility pane) which contains utility information in the following tabs: Overview, Selection, and Schedule. These tabs contain the essential selection criteria that is crucial to how the utility performed. By default, the Selection tab has focus when the Selected Utility pane is first made active.

Utilities performed from the Utilities tab are considered “quick” or “impromptu”; any modifications made to the Overview, Selection, and Schedule tabs are discarded immediately after switching to another utility category.

For example, if you have the Titles (category) - Catalog (subcategory) - Modify tag (utility) selected and then click on the Copies category, all information that you may have modified or provided to the Modify utility will be lost. Even if you were to immediately return to the Titles (category) - Catalog (subcategory) - Modify (utility), you would find all your changes missing. If the new utility has not been given a Name in the Overview tab, a query window will appear asking you to provide a name for the new Saved utility. By default, the Utility Type (appended with the word “copy”) will be supplied in the Name field.

The Saved tab

Alexandria and Textbook Tracker makes it easy to create your own frequently-used, custom utilities. The Saved tab contains a list of previously created utilities; these can be system defaults or operator-created. Individual Saved utilities can be “favorited” by checking the Favorite box in the Overview tab; if the check is removed, it will no longer be marked as a “favorite” utility.

The Saved tab contains system defaults as well as custom utilities that operators have created and saved. You can click on the column headers (e.g. Name, Operator(s), Site, Scheduled, and Favorite ) in the Saved tab to change the sort order. When the Saved tab is selected, the Operator Filter, Site ID Code Filter, and Favorites Filter buttons (click here for more details) become available in the utility Tools / Search pane.

Using the utility Categories pane, Saved tab results can be filtered to only show utilities from selected categories/subcategories. For example, if you select Patrons from the utility Categories pane, the Saved tab will only show operator-created Patrons utilities; if you select a Patrons subcategory (e.g. General or Saved Lists), your results will be filtered further.

When a utility appears red in the Saved results, it indicates that unsaved changes have been made to the utility. When a Saved utility has been changed, the Revert All and Save All buttons appear in the utility Tools / Search pane in place of the Print button; these buttons will save or revert all of the currently modified utilities. If you try to close the Utilities window with unsaved changes, the program will ask that you save or revert all your changes; otherwise, click Cancel to return to the Utilities window.

When you make a utility selection from the Saved tab, the Selected Utility pane (i.e. the bottom-half of the window) is populated with the following tabs: Overview, Selection, and Schedule. By default, the Overview tab has focus when the Selected Utility pane is first made active.

Once a Saved utility has been selected, it can then be ran, modified, duplicated, or removed.

Selected Utility Pane

The lower-right area of the Utilities window is home to the following tabs: Overview, Selection, and Schedule. These tabs allow you to configure selection and schedule options for the utility currently selected in the Utilities or Saved tab. Not only that, they contain the essential selection criteria that is crucial to how utilities are performed.

Be sure to always Save All changes you make to the Saved utilities in the Utilities window so that you’re guaranteed to have full, working, and scheduled utilities.

Should you want nearly identical settings for each utility, you can Duplicate (Ctrl+D) (+D) them, give them a new name, and make whatever modifications you require (name, boolean, email, etc).

Click on the links below to view these tabs in more detail:

• Overview tab
• Selection tab
• Schedule tab

Performing Utilities

Clicking on the Run button at the top (or sometimes bottom-right) of the window opens the Operation Management window and performs the selected utility.

Every time you run a utility, it will be documented in your Transaction log.

- NOTE -
If you are ever encouraged to Archive before performing a utility, the correct response is always Yes.

In Conclusion

In closing, take some time to explore the categories and subcategories and set up some favorite utilities that you’d like to easily access and run. In the end, if you still have questions, remember you can always call or email COMPanion’s Technical Support team at any time.

Remember, should you want nearly every setting the same for each utility, you can duplicate a selected utility, give it a new name, and make whatever changes you need (name, boolean, email recipients, etc).

If you decide to delete a utility, find it in the Saved tab, select (i.e. highlight) it, and then choose Delete Selected Utility (Ctrl+R) (+R) from the primary Actions menu. Additionally, you may remove all Saved utilities in a particular category/subcategory by selecting Delete All Utilities Shown from the primary Actions menu. Before deleting any utilities, the program will ask you to confirm—just in case you accidently selected that option. COMPanion defaults can be restored by selecting Restore Missing Defaults from the primary Actions menu; however, custom-made Saved utilities can not be restored.

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Related Utilities Window Topics

• Utilities Window: Step-by-Step: Performing Utilities
  
• Step-by-Step: Moving Patrons to a New Policy
  
• Step-by-Step: Moving Patrons to a New Homeroom
  
• Step-by-Step: Moving Items to a New Policy
  
• Utilities Window: Full Utilities List

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Notes, Footnotes, and/or References

1. ↑ The Save All and Revert All buttons are conditional and only appear when a changes have been made to various fields of an export selected from the Saved tab.
2. ↑ Often improvised or impromptu; for a particular or specific purpose only, and for no other.