Desktop Integration - LLL

Current Situation

ITS have provided the user with the ability to create and maintain a letter in any word-processing product and then use this document when interfacing with the ITS Letters/List/Labels system.

A further refinement was also made where the old "$D$" parameter formats have been replace by tags (Such as "<studentNumber>"). By allowing the user to manipulate the contents of the document it is now possible to do formatting of both the page as well as the text's properties.

The documents then goes through an upload procedure into ITS and is merged with a specific set of data and final/merged documents are generated. These merged documents can then be printed directly via PCL, Mailed to the student and/or displayed as a PDF document. These documents are then also stored in the ITS Document Storage and Retrieval System (DSR).

Menu options: {GMNT-5}

Preparation

Any program not yet converted

It is strongly advised that ITS must be involved when the following must be done.

a) Create new JAVA program

Rewrite program
Create Batch prompts

b) Convert D-parameters to tags

Identifies all the pre-defined D-parameters in a specific program. (Option)
Style Sheets must be written for each and every defined D-parameter that does not already exists on the tags directory.
All Tags to be used are stored on {GMNT-5b3}

User defined LLL in the database

Convert Existing LLL Layout to text.doc.

a)    Make sure that for every D-parameter existing in the .pc program there are a record in {GMNT-9}.
b)    Specify on which directory the .txt file must be saved. This must be done on {BATCH-7} for system GEN and function CNV.
c)    Once above is done, the actual conversion of existing letter's can be done.
d)    Convert Old Document to Text Document {GMNT-10}

This option will enable a user to do the actual conversion of old document detail in the data base to a text format where the original D-parameters are being replace by new <tags>, using conversion table on {GMNT-9}.
Using the system/sub-system combination as per {GMNT-9} for specified program, the data will be selected from the correct document definition database table.
Take note that only $D$ parameters and $Pxxx,n,m$ will be converted. Where $R$ is specified, that is another report that must be executed and that output must form part of this document, must be handled in the new XML program.

e) Upload this document into a word processing document and continue with the formatting if needed.

Prep Demonstration #A

Purpose: Convert existing LLL document layout to text document.

Execution

1. Make sure that every D-parameter used are recorded in {GMNT-9}:

2. Specify on which directory the .txt file must be saved.

3. Convert the old LLL document.

16-JUL-2007 09:26                                     Integrated Tertiary Software:Development                        Page :    1
Program : g68ccc.pc v01.0.0.1                       Conversion Of Document Detail

The Following Conversion Files Was Created for : IL7CCC.PC
------------------------------------------------
/its/itsdev/gen/RANE.txt

Document
Code     Old D-Parameter New Tag Code
-------- --------------- ------------
RANE     D56              <StudTitleInitSurn>
             D51              <StudAddrLine1>
             D52              <StudAddrLine2>
             D53              <StudAddrLine3>
             D54              <StudAddrLine4>
             D55              <StudAddrPCode>
             D57              <StudTitleSurn>
             D77              <StudNamesSurn>
            D1               <CalYear>
        D2               <BlockCodeAndDesc>
          D3               <SubjCodeAndDesc_R>
              D4               <SubjOffTypeDesc_R>
        D5               <SubjExamType_R>
          D5               <SubjExamType_R>
            D6               <SubjClassGroup_R>
          D7               <SubjPracGroup_R>
            D8               <SubjTutGroup_R>

                                                   ***** End Of Report *****

View the .txt file (RANE.txt):
<StudTitleInitSurn>
<StudAddrLine1>
<StudAddrLine2>
<StudAddrLine3>
<StudAddrLine4>
<StudAddrPCode>

Dear <StudTitleSurn>
Dear <StudNamesSurn>

RE: Subject Registration

You have been registered in <CalYear>, <BlockCodeAndDesc> for <SubjCodeAndDesc_R
> for <SubjOffTypeDesc_R> <SubjExamType_R> in
<SubjExamType_R> with classgroup <SubjClassGroup_R>, practical group <SubjPracGroup_R> and
tutorial group <SubjTutGroup_R>

Friendly Greetings

Note: All the $D and $P-parameters are replaced by tags.

Administration

1.    Word Processor documents are stored as RTF in ITS via {GMNT-5}, Tab -Maintain System Letters
2.    Each LLL option consists of a grouping of letter output formats. These groups are stored in ITS on {GMNT-5}, Tab - Document Groups
3.    All Tags to be used via the RTF documents are stored on {GMNT-5} Tab - Letter Objects and must be matched with the specified letter from Block 2

Please NOTE that these tags are small stylesheet extracts that define the format and XML field-name(s) that must be displayed every time this tag is called. These tags can combine multiple fields and can span multiple records per tag incident (i.e. all enrolled subjects per specific qualification).

Demonstration #1

Purpose: Run a Letter/List/Label program via the new formats

Execution
1. The concept of entering input parameters via a form and then calling a C-program afterwards is not used anymore. The new environment runs the new XML-generating package directly via batch
parameters.
2. Go to Menu {SCOM2-3}
3. Enter the input parameters as follows:

4. Ensure that the correct Stylesheet format group has been chosen and click example of lll-1b

5. Depending on the setup done in {GMNT-5b2} the different output reports will be displayed on the screen. (See Demonstration #4 for these settings)

Demonstration #2

Purpose: To create and Upload a word processing document. (Letter Format)

Execution
1.    Open your preferred word-processing document.
2.    Type the letter using the specified tags wherever you need data substituted.
3.    If using MS-word, you can add toolbars in order to get the necessary available tags for a letter by doing the following:

a.    Go to "Tools/Templates and Add-ins"
b.    Under the "Global templates and Add-ins" area add (if not available yet) or tick the "StudentDefaults.dot" and "StudentApplicantCertificates.dot" files.
c.    Click on "OK"

4. These toolbars will now display on the toolbar area.

5. Now save this document as a normal Word-processing document (i.e. *.doc). This document will be the master document and should be used whenever any changes needs to be done.
6. Open "File" and "Save As". Choose "Rich Text Format" under "Save as type"

7.    Close your Word-processing editor and go to {GMNT-5b1}
8.    Create an entry here. This will be used to store your letter in and will allow the ITS system to reference it.
9.    Save this document and click on "Retrieve From Client"

10.    This Letter has now been converted into an XSL-FO document.

Demonstration #3

Purpose: To create and upload a word processing document. (ASCII Format)

Execution
1.    Open your preferred word-processing document.
2.    Type the tags you want specified in the CSV layout.
3.    If using MS-word, you can add toolbars in order to get the necessary available tags for a letter by doing the following:

4. These toolbars will now display on the toolbar area.

7.    Close your Word-processing editor and go to {GMNT-5}, Tab - Maintain System Letters.
8.    Create an entry here. This will be used to store your letter in and will allow the ITS system to reference it.
9.    Save this document and click on "Retrieve From Client"

10. This ASCII format has now been converted into an XSL document.

Note that this document will not be generating a PDF document as it would be used as a raw text or CSV file and could then be imported/opened by something like a spreadsheet program.

11. In order to create a template for sending SMS messages, the document must be setup as follows:

Demonstration #4

Purpose: To define the set of reports that must be included in a specific LLL run.

Execution
1. Go to Menu {GMNT-5}
2. First create an entry that will be used as the Master / group stylesheet.

This is the stylesheet that will be linked against the specific program in {USERS-1b4}
Please ensure that "Output Format", "Output Type" and "Mime Type" is specified as the example below. Also note that NO DOCUMENT will be stored against this entry. (I.e. Don't use the "Retrieve From Client" button)

3. Now go to the next Block (B2). This is where you have to decide which documents/reports will be needed when the Letter/List/Label program is run.
4. First link the Letter created in Demonstration #2 and set it on "Individual Level". This will ensure that a letter will be generated for each student picked up by the Letter/List/Label program logic.

5.    Do NOT set the "Display at runtime" to "Yes" for reports where a lot of documents could be generated as each one of these documents will be opened individually
   on your PC.
6.    If an Email of the student is available, the "Send Mail" field could be set to "Yes" and the individual documents will automatically be sent to each student. An
   override exists whereby you could
   send all letters to a specific address by putting this address in the "Mail Destination" field.
7.    If these documents must be printed and a specific destination exists, you could set the "Print Direct" field to "Yes" and choose the desired printer in the "Printer
   Destination" field.
8.    By setting the "Active" field to "No" this document will not be included at run time.
9.    The file extension of this document can be set in the "File Extension" field.
10.   Now link the ASCII stylesheet created in Demonstration #3 and set it on "Batch Level". This will ensure that a text file will be generated and include a line of
   detail for each student picked up by the Letter/List/Label program logic.

11.    Set the "Display at runtime" to "Yes" If you wish to see this document displayed at runtime.
12.    You can also Email this ASCII file to the involved person by typing their Email address into the "Mail Destination" field
13.    The "Print Direct" field would typically be set to "No" as an ASCII field is normally never printed.
14.    By setting the "Active" field to "No" this document will not be included at run time.
15.    The file extension of this document can be set in the "File Extension" field. If (in this case) the extension is e.g. "txt", the end result will be opened by
   something like Notepad. If however the
extension is set to "csv" and you have a spreadsheet program installed which understands this extension, this file will be opened by the spreadsheet program
   and import all the data from the file.
16.    The following is an example of setting up a list.

17. The following is an example of setting up a report log.

Processing Rules
	No special processing rules

Date	System Version	By Whom	Job	Description
15-Jan-2007	v01.0.0.1	Charlene van der Schyff	t12345	New manual format.
08-Feb-2008	v01.0.0.1	Melanie Zeelie	t147425	Edit and proofread.