Adding A Record

To add a record, press the Add icon located in the Button Bar. The Add form will appear in the Dialog Area, allowing you to enter information about the problem.

ProblemTracker allows your administrator to customize the fields that appear in the bug record. Other requirements such as required fields may also apply.

As an example of a typical record, the code development sample database included with ProblemTracker has the following fields:

• Title
  A brief description of the problem

• Product
  The product for which the problem is being reported. The values of this pulldown menu can be customized.

• Platform
  The platform for which the problem is being reported. This is often used to indicate a hardware of software platform, such as Apple Macintosh or Microsoft Windows NT. The values of this pulldown menu can be customized.

• Request Type
  This is the nature of the request, generally either a bug, an enhancement, or a contractual obligation. The values of this pulldown menu can be customized.

• Severity
  Severity is a general indicator of how serious the problem is. The values of this pulldown menu can be customized.

• Problem Reported In
  Used to indicate the version number of the software where the problem was found.

• Description
  A description of the problem.

• Reported By
  Name of the person who reported the problem.

• Date Reported
  Date the problem was reported.

• Workaround
  A description of how a customer can work around this reported problem.

• Assigned To
  Name of the individual to whom this record is currently assigned for resolution. This value is chosen from a list of ProblemTracker users.

• Status
  The current status of the record. Initially this status is set to TBD.

• Fix Released In
  The version number of the software that will include a fix for this problem.

• Priority
  Used to indicate a relative order in which problems should be handled. The values of this pulldown menu can be customized.

The Difference between the Add Operation and the Add & Copy Operation

After entering the information for a new record on the Add page, you have the option to click "Add" or "Add & Copy" to save the new record. Clicking on the Add button will save the new record, then will return to a "blank" Add form so another new record can be added.

Clicking on the Add & Copy button will save the new record, but when returning to the Add form, the contents of some fields will be saved so that another similar record can be added without having to re-enter information into the fields. The fields which are copied to the Add form for the next record are selected by your ProblemTracker Administrator.

In some cases, your ProblemTracker Administrator may have set up dependent pulldowns. Dependent pulldowns allow the value selected for one pulldown (the parent pulldown) to determine the values displayed in another pulldown (the child pulldown). When dependent pulldowns appear on the Add page, the menu option selected in the parent pulldown will limit the menu options available in the child pulldown.

If record-level security has been enabled, and your are a member of a user group that is allowed to modify the visibility of a record to user groups, a selection list will appear at the bottom of the page. This list allows you to select which user groups this record will be visible to. To select more than one user group, hold down the shift or control key while clicking.

Depending on the privileges you have been assigned, you may see additional options at the bottom of the Add page such as "Add Attachment", "Set Alert", and "Start Discussion". These options are discussed in detail below.

If you are a member of a User Group that has the Add Attachment privilege, then you may add an attachment along with the problem record. To add an attachment along with the problem record, please follow the steps below.

1. Check the "Add Attachment" box at the bottom of the Add page
2. Click on the "Add" or "Add & Copy" button to add the new record
3. Enter a meaningful description for the Attachment (this will be displayed when someone subsequently views the problem record) in the "Attachment Description" field.
4. Click the Browse button (to the right) to select the file from your local machine.
5. If you wish to add another attachment, check the "Add Another Attachment" box at the bottom. You will be prompted to enter the attachment description and browse to the file for the second attachment file. If you do not wish to add another attachment, simply click on the OK button to complete the operation.

After you have added a problem report (and if you have been given the appropriate privileges by your Administrator), you can add more file attachments and/or edit or delete existing attachments by following the directions in the Record Attachments section of the Help.

Alerts are email notification messages that can be configured for a record. You can set an alert to remind you about a particular record at a later date and time. You can also set an alert to be sent to other users and groups in your organization.

Depending on the product you selected, you may have the option to set an alert for the record you are creating. If you are allowed to set an alert for the record, the box "Set Alert" will appear at the bottom of the Add form. Check the box if you wish to set an alert for the record. After clicking the "Add" or "Add & Copy" button, the Alert settings will be displayed as shown below.

Details on configuring Alert settings during the Add operation can be found in the Alerts section.

A discussion can be initiated for a record using the "Start Discussion" check box at the bottom of the Add page. The Discussion feature allows users to discuss topics related to a record in parallel to a record's progress through the workflow. When starting a discussion for a record, you can invite other users and groups to participate in the discussion.

If you have the user group privileges required to initiate a discussion, check the box for "Start Discussion". After clicking on the "Add" or "Add & Copy" button to save the new record, you will be prompted with the Discussion settings as shown below:

Details on starting a Discussion during the Add operation can be found in the Discussion section.