Customize the Portal Website

The Portal website is a user definable web page, from which your customers can access product and account information, or even use a Shopping Cart to generate product quotations and reservations.

A standard Portal website layout with cascading style sheets is provided by Texada Software.
The Portal can be used in this standard default format, or the website layout and style sheets can be completely modified and redesigned by a web designer to reflect your firm's personality and preferences, including logo, fonts, and colors.
Portal Presentation and API themes for website access and information retrieval can even be controlled and customized at the individual customer level.

WEBSITE Setup by your store's Web Administrator
On the Internet, only your firm's web administrator can access and personalize your web page.
Your web administrator account number is webadmin combined with the password setup in Global Portal Settings.

        ACCOUNT NUMBER: webadmin
        USER NAME:      -leave blank (assumes administrator)
        PASSWORD:       -as defined in Global Portal Settings

        LOG IN button     (to accept login ID)
        

MENU CONSTRUCTION
Your firm's web administrator can fully control the presentation and customization of your Portal website.

After logging onto the website as outlined above, the web administrator can build a menu of API's to be made available to your customers, or can modify the default API selection provided by SRM software.
When the webadmin first signs on, the customer "Welcome Screen" is suppressed.

SELECT API THEME TO MODIFY

This screen is suppressed if your firm does not utilize multiple API Themes.
If your firm has setup multiple themes then the webadmin is now prompted to select the theme from the drop-down list and click on the SELECT button.
The custom API theme can be assigned to the customer in Portal Customers to suit the customer's needs.
If a custom web menu is not generated for a customer, then the standard default web menu applies.
To view and update the standard web menu, select -Default Web Index- from the drop-down box and click SELECT.

WEB MENU

The menu appears for this theme in a banner across the screen displaying the web categories, for the administrator and also for the customers.
e.g. Accounting, Contract Inquiries, User Profile, Shopping Cart, etc.

Move the mouse cursor over each menu item to view and access the options and utilities available in the drop-down list under that category heading.

This selection can be completely customized as your default or by specific themes, for unique customer access.

• Click the + to add a menu option with relevant preferred filters and output, as outlined below in API Selection and Design.
• Click the - to remove a specific option from the menu.

• The REMOVE MENUS option below the menu banner can be used to clear the menu options for this API Theme in order to rebuild the menu selections. Confirmation is required.

• To default your web page format to the standard Portal start-up layout, click on the RESET TO STANDARD below the menu banner. Confirmation is required.

These are some of the API options that can be made available for customer use:

• ACCOUNTING
  Account Inquiry: includes information from Customer Account Inquiry
  Rental Analysis: allows the customer to review his rental activity by product Group in summary or detail

• GENERAL INQUIRIES
  Equipment Availability:
  Rental Rate Inquiry:
  Job Sites:
  Google Link:

• CONTRACT INQUIRIES
  List Contracts:
  Request Pickup:
  Contracts Billings:
  Estimated Billing Report:
  View Contract:

• INVOICE INQUIRIES
  List Invoices:
  View Invoice:

• MAINTENANCE
  Update Driver's Licenses:
  Update Job Sites:

• USER PROFILE
  Update User Profiles:
  Change Password:

• SHOPPING CART - this option will always be listed last on the menu banner.

API SELECTION AND DESIGN

The web administrator can click on the heading option to customize the categories in the menu banner, editing what is accessible on the menu, and the text of the heading descriptions for a theme.
The administrator can also click on the individual menu options in the drop-down boxes to customize or edit the options, including the selection filters and input prompts, and the output results returned by each API (Application Program Interface) .

The layout of each menu or menu option is split between the Heading and the Details.
To view the construction of an existing category or API, just click on your choice in the menu banner or in the drop-down box, or to create a new API menu option, click on + symbol.

• The Heading defines the Web menu and can include:
  • Optional menu categories like "Accounting", "General Inquiries", "Contract Inquiries", etc. that do not call an API.
  • The actual functions like "Account Inquiry", "Equipment Availability", List Contracts", etc. that do require a valid API Called to select and generate the output.
  • A URL Link that is setup as User Defined API.

    Detailed instructions for Editing Headings are outlined below.

• When the heading of a valid API is displayed the Details of that API can be accessed and edited by clicking on SHOW DETAILS on the right.
  This action is only available for valid API's.
  The Details can be used to control the prompts to be used for that function or utility, and to customize the output returned.

  • The fields called the "Input Parameters" are used to determine the resulting data from the selection that is returned to the screen or printer.
  • The output fields are called the "Record Sets".

    Detailed instructions for Editing Details are outlined below.

EDITING HEADING or ADD MENU ITEM

The Heading record is displayed for menu categories and API menu options, including the following fields:

INDEX ID

This value automatically assigned and is meant for internal use only by the programs.

DESCRIPTION

This is the description listed on the Web menu or drop-down box.
It can be over-typed as required.

API CALLED

This is the API call name for a utility or function.
It should be left blank for menu categories meant to be listed in the menu banner, as no Input selection Parameters or output Set Record details are required.

• Menu Category:
  This field does not apply to menu category options, and is left blank if the Heading record is meant to setup a menu heading or category in the Web menu banner, and no Input selection Parameters or output Set Record details are required.
  The SHOW DETAIL action is not even provided, as it is not relevant.

  Menu category headings always display in the root position on the banner, meaning any following functions or API's will default to display in the drop-down box under the menu category.

  Note: If menu headings are not setup, i.e. only API's are listed on the web menu, then the API's are automatically listed in the root position.

• Menu Option:
  To assign an API call name for a utility or function, click on the drop-down button to view and select from the available API options.
  After the Header has been SAVED, then the SHOW DETAIL option will become available.

• URL Link:
  If this field is set to User Defined API a link to another website can be established on the Web menu banner.
  Links to any other website can be offered, although usually it is your own company's or a related supplier's.
  The SHOW DETAIL action is not provided as it is not relevant.

DISPLAY

This field is set to YES if the new option should be displayed on the Web menu.

URL LINK

A related URL link can be entered, only if the "API CALLED" field above is set to User Defined API.
This could be your firm's own website, a supplier's site, or any other related site, or even a favorite search engine.
e.g. http://www.texadasoftware.com

INSERT BEFORE

This option only applies when a new option is being added to the menu.
Click on the drop-down button and select the existing option that this new option should precede.

RESET ROOT

This field does not apply to category or menu headings, as menu headings are always placed in the root position on the Web menu banner.

In designing the Web menu, if menu headings are utilized all APIs following are nested under the heading until the next menu heading is listed.

The Reset Root field can control the position of an API or a User Defined URL Link, that usually defaults to display nested in a sub-menu.
When this field is set to Yes, the option is moved into the root position on the banner, rather than displaying under the previous sub-menu heading.
Subsequent APIs and User Defined URL Links on the web menu will also be reset to the root position until the next menu heading is listed.

Finished?

Click the SAVE button to save any changes made to the Heading fields.

Click SHOW DETAILS to display and access the Detail fields that control the Input Parameters and the Output Record Sets of the API menu option.
This action only applies to Headings that have a valid API name in the API CALLED field.
(i.e. not blank, and not User Defined API)

EDITING DETAILS

The API Details can be accessed by clicking SHOW DETAILS on the right, to view, modify, and define the Input Parameters first, and then the actual output Record Sets that are to be produced.

• The Input Parameters are the selection prompts that your customer can use to generate the inquiry or report.
  The web administrator can control the Input Parameters fields through the following headings listed across the screen:

  PARAMETER

  This column lists all the selection parameter fields available for this inquiry.

  
  USER DEFINED DESCRIPTION

  This is the text displayed on your Portal website in the selection parameters of this option.
  Leave this field blank to use the default description from the Parameter field, or type in the text that should be displayed to better define this selection Parameter description to suit your firm's preferences.

  
  DEFAULT VALUE

  Depending on the type of field, certain default values are set. These can be changed by the web administrator as required.

  • DATES:
    Use the drop-down box to select the appropriate date default.
    • When "Shortcut Date" is selected, a specific date can be entered in the field to the right using the format YYYYMMDD.
      e.g. 19010101 representing the beginning of time.
    • When one of the other date options is selected, an optional additional value of D for Day, W for Week, or M for Month, can be entered in the date field on the right, preceded by a number with or without a negative sign. This number and the D/W/M code combination are used with the date option to calculate the earlier or later preferred date to be displayed in this field.
      e.g. "TODAY" and "-1W" would display the date for 1 week prior to today's date.
      or "TODAY" and "1W" would display the date for 1 week after today's date.
      or "CURRENT MONTH END" and "3M 1W" would display the date for three months and 1 week from the end of the current month.

      Note: When combinations of D/W/M are used, they must be separated by a space.
      i.e. "1D 2W 1M"

  • CUSTOMER#:
    Normally the customer # field should be left blank so that the inquiries only display documents for the corresponding customer number of the account logged in.

    Note: In rare situations, if ALL_CUSTOMERS is entered for the 'Default Value', then information for all customers will be included in this inquiry.
    This could be useful for an in house website for an API such as the Open Contract List, but this is NOT suitable for your customers' accessibility.

    Be advised that by altering the Customer# setting more than one customer may be accessed by a single web account.

  • SEARCH BY:
    This can be left blank, or it can be set to P for Product search only, G for Group search only, or C for Product Class search only.

  • YES/NO:
    This can be set to default to Yes or No, and a drop-down box is provided.
    e.g. For "All Sites", No would limit the site selection to only the customer's own sites, but Yes would allow selection from all sites.

  • OUTPUT TYPE:
    This is a parameter, that only applies to certain API types, such as View Contracts, View Invoices, and Rental Analysis.
    The options include Screen Print which generates a document such as an invoice or contract, or Record Set which displays the information in a data table report format.
    When the "Output Type" field is left blank, applicable API's default to the Screen Print option.

    Note: When API's are displayed in Screen Print report format, all standard information fields are reported, regardless of the status of the display flags or the sort order flags.

  
  DISPLAY

  Select from these field names and check the ones that should be included in the selection prompts for this API for your firm.
  Default Values do still apply even if the name is not displayed on the website.

  Shortcut: To cause all fields to be flagged to display, check the Display box provided at the top of the column heading, and then specific parameters can be de-selected as required.
  Conversely uncheck the Display box to remove the display flag on all fields.

  
  ORDER

  Number the records to identify the order that these prompts should appear on the selection screen.

• The Record Sets control the data and information that is returned to the customer on the screen or report according to his selected Input Parameters.
  The web administrator can format the display and the output data, according to the following descriptions and sort selections:

  File Name

  The file name displayed in uppercase in the first box, is the data file source of the information.
  Multiple filenames can be used in a Record Set.
  e.g. RSCH: for contracts, ARAR: for customer accounts, ARST: for sites, RSDP: for deposits, etc.

  
  SORT BY

  Click on the drop-down menu to select the column name by which the inquiry should initially be sorted.
  The sort field must also be flagged to Display.
  e.g. Group, Date, Description, Days Rented

  
  NAME

  The descriptions in this column represent the default field headings of the data to be displayed on the inquiry or report. Not all of these fields must be displayed.

  
  USER DEFINED DESCRIPTION

  Leave this field blank to use the default description from the "NAME" field, or type in the text that should be displayed to better define this field description to suit your firm's preferences.

  
  DISPLAY

  Select the data fields and check the ones that should be displayed on this inquiry for your firm.
  

  Shortcut: To cause all fields to be flagged to display, click on the Display Box provided in the column heading, and then specific parameters can be de-selected as required.

  Note: Certain API's when displayed using Output Type Screen Print, such as view Contract, or Invoice documents, will show all standard information fields for the output regardless of the display flags or the sort order flags.

  
  ORDER

  Number the records to identify the order that these data fields should appear on the information screen.
  Fields not being displayed will automatically be shifted down when the changes are saved.

  Note: When a customer is logged in, he also has the ability to click on a document number (i.e. contract or invoice) to generate a copy of the printed document on the screen.

  
  Finished?

  Click the SAVE button to save any changes made to the Detail fields for this API option.

  Click SHOW HEADER to return the Editing Header without saving and changes to t

  
  Texada Website

  Click on the link in the Powered by Texada Software Inc in the bottom left to access Texada's home page URL.

  
  LOG OUT

  Click on this action at the top right to exit the Portal website and return back to the login prompt.