webBooks-System Configuration

This module is the first of three modules that are mandatory for the webBooks software to operate correctly. Inside this module you will find parameters that define how the software works and who needs to be contacted in the event that problems are encountered. For the most part, once this module is configured, you will most likely not return to it.

Tabs

Each module will contain several tabs that help group the various types of associated information. Below we will cover the details of each one currently available in the latest release of the module.

?

This tab is found in each module as the way to access helpful documentation and, when clicked, will load this wiki page for the module. Of course you can always go directly to our wiki and read through the entire software documentation.

General

Also found in most of the available extensions, this tab provides the general information associated with the module. Below you will find the details of each field available on the form.

• System admin This listbox allows you to easily define the type of system administrator your business will use. Current values include 'Current Employee', 'Service Provider', and 'Vendor'. When you change the selected value in the list, the associated 'Name' value (see next bullet) will dynamically populate with the currently entered values.

Typically 'Current Employee' would be selected if your organization is large enough to have an existing staff member as your system administrator. If you have not created any employee accounts yet, you will find that the only value listed in the associated 'Name' listbox (see next bullet) will be the 'administrator'. As a result, you may want to at least create the employee account for this person before continuing.

Since webBooks was created for small and medium sized businesses, most likely the 'Service Provider' will be the value used since a third-party company will most likely handle all or various IT aspects of your business. Please note that if you have not supplied any information on the 'Providers' tab in the 'Business Configuration' module, the associated 'Name' listbox (see next bullet) will have no selectable values.

By using 'Vendor' as the selected value, you have most likely purchased a turnkey system including the webBooks software along with vendor-supplied hardware. In this situation, the vendor will most likely want to handle the support side to their equipment. This option will also have no selectable values for the associated 'Name' listbox (see next bullet) if you haven't filled out any information in the 'Vendors' tab of the 'Business Configuration' module.

• Name The contents of this listbox change dynamically based on the afore mentioned selection. Once you have selected one of the values in this listbox, all the associated information (Email, Phone, Extension, and Mobile Phone) will be populated. It is important to note that the information found in those textboxes are NOT editable! You will need to alter that information in the appropriate module (e.g. Employees, Business Configuration, etc).

• Email This textbox allows you to see and copy the email address of the system administrator currently used by your company.

• Phone & Extension Just as the name implies, these textboxes allow you to see and copy the phone number and optional extension number of your currently selected system administrator.

• Mobile Phone Note only will this show you the mobile phone number of your system admin, it also allows you to see the capabilities of their phone so you can have the possibility of more than one type of communication (e.g. verbal, text, email).

• Commerce URI Unlike ALL other business management software, webBooks enables you to automate as much as possible with those that you conduct business with that also use webBooks. For example, if you have a service provider that also uses webBooks and the two are setup using the 'Commerce URI' and 'Commerce SID', when they invoice you, there is no reason for them to mail, email, or even verbally tell you! Once their invoice is posted, their webBooks will communicate with yours and automatically exchange the necessary information!

In this module, the 'Commerce URI' is a read-only value that can be conveyed (or sent via email) to those whom you wish to exchange information with. The value should contain the publically accessible URI so that companies outside your own can communicate with your instance of webBooks.

NOTE: while there is a currently only a minor bit of information that is currently available to use this capability, as the software matures, more will come online.

• Commerce SID Used in conjunction with the 'Commerce URI', this value is a dynamic, single-use string that ensures communication ONLY with the desired target. Since it is a single-use string, you can setup the initial value to be anything you want. For example, you could set the initial value to 'Hello World' and after the webBooks pairing has taken place, you should NEVER adjust this value again (since it would signal an alert and stop communication between the two webBooks immediately)!

• Commerce Info These two buttons will enable you to either re-generate a SID or conveniently send an email to the appropriate contact with your commerce URI and SID.

• Company data The buttons associated with this option will enable a company to export, import, or archive their business data. The export button will export ALL the data currently in the database. Importing will only import whatever data is part of the file and can be all of a companies data or the most recent company data after some has been archived. Archiving some of the business data will help maintain speed and stability of the database while giving you information to store for later retrieval if necessary.

• Module update All actively developed software will have updates at some point. This option defines how those updates should be obtained. There are only two options: manual or automatic. The former allows you to manually obtain the updates by clicking on the 'Download' button, whereas the latter will automatically check for and obtain the updates as they become available. Neither option handles the installation of these updates, just how they are obtained!

• Install method The complimentary option to 'Module update', this option defines how the obtained updates (whether manually or automatically) are installed. To install all the module updates manually, select 'Manual' from the list and click the 'Install' button. To have the updates automatically installed after they are obtained, set the value to 'Automatic'.

• Data directory This directory specification defines where various, non-database data is stored. For example, this includes uploads from modules via the 'Data' tab, the selected theme for the user account, and more. Unless there is a reason to move this, it is recommended not to alter this value!

• Logs directory As the name implies, this directory states where the log files are kept. Unless there is a reason to move this, it is recommended not to alter this value!

• Cron directory Currently this textbox is disabled, but will ultimately define the cron directory to place the appropriate webBooks scripts for nightly maintenance and other time-sensative tasks. Unless there is a reason to move this, it is recommended not to alter this value!

• Temp directory The location that temporary files will be stored. We do NOT recommend using the system-wide temp directory since this may temporarily contain sensative data. Unless there is a reason to move this, it is recommended not to alter this value!

• Available printers Currently these options are disabled for future implementation, but when they become active, they will allow a business to setup printers in the software so that your employees can print to their local printers or remotely to the ones configured in this section.

Groups

This tab defines what groups are displayed on the dashboard as well as which modules you want associated with each group. It is important to note that a module can be a member of multiple groups. For instance, you may want to add 'Customer Accounts' to the 'Sales' and 'Service' groups since both of those departments would need access to that information. This does not, however, define access rights to the 'Customer Accounts' module. For more information on access permissions, click here.

• Module groups This column deals with the addition, modification, or deletion of the groups found on the dashboard. The top most textbox defines the name of the group that you would like to use. The following textbox defines the file to use as the groups' graphic and includes a trailing 'Upload' button that should be used when creating a new group (the associated textbox should remain blank until the new group is saved). The '*', '+', '-', and 'Update' buttons are used to create a new group (by clearing the form to allow you to enter in new information), add a group to the list, removed a group from the list, or update a group in the list respectively.

• Included modules The module list in this column will dynamically change based on the selected item in the 'Module groups' list. There are no buttons here to add modules (see next bullet), but there is a '-' button to remove a module from the list.

• Installed modules In this column you will be presented with all the currently installed modules. From here you can perform several tasks like adding a selected module into the 'Included modules' list by clicking the '<<' button. You may also notice a '+' and '-' button. These will allow you to install (from file) or uninstall (from list) modules. If you want an easier, graphical interface to install modules, see the Dashboard wiki page.

Buttons

The buttons located in the header of each form will be covered below (see the respective sections above for inline buttons).

Save

The only button available in the header of the 'General' tab, click this button once you have filled out all available fields to save your configuration. It is important to note that this ONLY saves information listed on this tab - no others!