![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Enterprise User Manual
Chapter 8
User Prompting
User Prompting automates the collection of data from Client users and from system files on Client PCs. It enables you to collect valuable user information, such as location, cost code, and telephone number and to collect information on the configuration of Client PCs. This information gathering can be targeted at Client PCs, to build a total picture of PC deployment in your organization. User Prompting uses a four stage process:
Create the Prompt File
Prompt files are created and edited with the User Prompt Editor. Prompts can collect any user-related information, such as location, department, cost code, telephone number. They can also collect system variables from Client PCs without user intervention. To minimize data entry and consistency problems, user replies can be limited to specific formats, lengths and cases, or to a selection from a list or pre-defined responses.
Distribute the Prompt File
When the Prompt file is complete, you must distribute it to Client PCs using the Get User Data Operation. This copies the Prompt file to the Offline Areas of the selected Client PCs.
Collect the Information
When the Client software is activated, it checks the Offline Area for an updated Prompt file. If it finds a new Prompt file, its questions are displayed to the Client user, or used to collect information from the Client PC. The completed file is then copied to the Offline Area.
Save the Information
The new information is saved to the Site Database when you next run the Update Hardware Inventory Operation.
The User Prompt Editor
The User Prompt Editor enables you to create and edit files that prompt users for information when they start their PCs. It also enables you to specify the label with which the information is stored in the Site Database.
To start the User Prompt Editor:
- In the Console, right-click the Get User Data Operation, and choose the Customize command from the shortcut menu.
- In the Customize Hardware Inventory dialog, select the Hardware tab.
- Click the Edit button to display the User Prompt Editor. You can now create a user prompt file.
The User Prompt Editor Interface
The User Prompt Editor interface contains the following areas:
User Prompt List
The prompt list displays the questions in the prompt file. It also shows the fields in which the data is stored in the Site Database. The order in which the questions are listed represents the order in which they are displayed on Client PCs.
Edit View
In the top-right of the window, this View displays the details of the currently selected question.
Comment View
In the bottom right of the window, this View enables you to enter a title and explanatory text for the prompt window displayed on Client PCs.
Using the Edit View
The Edit View shows the details for the currently selected User Prompt. It contains tabs which enable you to control how users can reply to the prompted questions:
General
Specifies the basic settings for the questions displayed on Client PCs. Use:
- The User Prompt field to change the text with which the user is prompted when the Client Kit is installed. Type the prompt text in this field and reselect the entry in the List View to update it.
- The Help field if you want to provide the user with extra information about the prompt. The information is displayed at the bottom of the Prompt dialog when the field is selected.
- The Default Value field if you want to supply a default answer for the prompt.
To collect environment and network variables, or INI file information with this prompt, click the Browse button to open the Value Browse dialog. For more information, see "Collecting System Variables". Because no user intervention is required for these prompts, you can make these invisible to the user by selecting Hidden in the Type tab.
Type
enables you to specify the data that the user prompt can accept:
- AlphaNumeric prompts accept alphabetic and numeric characters.
- Alphabetic prompts accept only alphabetic characters.
- Numeric prompts accept only numeric characters.
- Non-Editable prompts restricts users to selecting an entry from a list of potential responses. You can specify the list entries, in the Pick List tab.
- Hidden prompts collect environment variables, .INI file information and network settings directly from Client PCs. They are not displayed to the Client PC user.
Case
Selects the case for answers to the prompt. We recommend you select a case to ensure the consistency of user responses. The Case tab applies only to prompt types of AlphaNumeric and Alphabetic.
Length
Controls the maximum length of a value to be entered for this prompt. The length value must be between 1 and 50. The Length tab applies to all prompt types, except Non-Editable and Hidden prompts.
Pick List
Forces users to select a reply from a drop-down list. To use a pick list in a prompt, select the Include pick list information check box, and select the values from which a Client PC user can choose in the list.
To add a value to the list, click the Add button, enter the value in the Add Value dialog, and click the OK button.
To remove a value from the list, select the entry, click the Remove button, then click the Yes button in the confirmation message.
To sort the list into alphabetical order, click the Sort button. To define the order of the list items, drag and drop items in the list.
You can use a Pick List with all prompt types, except Hidden.
Using the Prompt Editor
The User Prompt Editor enables you to create and edit prompt files. These files can then be distributed to Client PCs to collect information from the PC users.
To add a question to a prompt file:
- Click the Add button. The Add Database Key dialog is displayed.
- In the Database key field, enter the name of the Client Property as you want it to appear in the Site Database, and click the OK button. The new prompt is selected in the List View ready for editing in the Edit View.
- In the List View, click the prompt and without releasing the mouse button, drag the prompt to the position in which you want it to be displayed to Client users.
To remove a User Prompt:
- Select the prompt you want to remove in the List View.
- Click the Remove button at the bottom of the List View. In the confirmation message, click the Yes button.
Collecting System Variables
As well as user-entered information, such as name and telephone number, Enterprise enables you to collect system variables directly from Client PCs. These User Prompts are defined from Editor's Value Browse dialog.
You can use it to collect three types of variable:
- Local environment variables.
- Network variables, such as DOMAINNAME, MACHINENAME and USERNAME.
- Specified values from INI files.
Collecting Environment Variables
To collect an environment variable, select the Environment variable option, then select the variable from the list.
Note that the list shows environment variables for the Console PC; the variables on Client PCs may differ. To collect a variable not displayed in the environment variable list, select a variable from the list, click the OK button to choose the correct format string, then edit the variable name in the Default field of the General tab.
Collecting Network Variables
To collect a Network variable, select the Network variable option, then select the variable from the network variable list.
Collecting INI File Variables
The Value Browse dialog enables you to specify INI File variables for collection by the Get User Data Operation. For example, you can use this procedure to collect INI file variables, such as
OfflineIDs.To collect an INI File variable:
- Open the prompt file in the User Prompt Editor.
- Click the Add button to open the Add Database Key dialog. Enter a name for the key, and click the OK button to create a new Database Key.
- In the General tab, enter a User prompt, and click the Browse button to open the Value Browse dialog.
- Select the INI file value option, and click the Browse button.
- In the Open dialog, select the INI file that contains the data you want to collect, and click the Open button.
- In the Section name field, enter the name of the INI file section from which you want to collect the data (do not include the square brackets).
- In the Key name field, enter the name of the variable or parameter name you want to retrieve.
- Click OK to close the Value Browse dialog. The Default value field contains the settings specified in the Value Browse dialog.
- In the prompt editor, select the Type tab, then select Hidden. (The Client user does not need to see the INI file prompt as the information is collected automatically.)
- Click the Apply button. The INI file variable is specified for collection along with any other prompts in the current User Prompt file.
Testing User Prompt Files
When you have created a User Prompt file, click the Test button on the Editor's toolbar to check how the file will appear on Client PCs:
- The first dialog shows you how the User Prompt file will be presented to users. Answer the prompts and click Close to display the Test Results dialog.
- This second dialog shows the values, including system variables, retrieved by the User Prompt file.
Distributing Prompt Files
You can distribute a new user prompt file to selected Clients using the Get User Data Operation, or by distributing the questions as part of a customized Update Hardware Inventory Operation.
To distribute Prompt files:
- Right-click the Get User Data Operation, and choose Customize from the shortcut menu.
- In the Customize Hardware Inventory dialog, select the Hardware tab.
- Select the Refresh user prompt questions check box and click the Browse button to display the Open dialog.
- In the Open dialog, select the user prompt file you want to distribute, then click the Open button.
- Click the Reload button to reload the user prompt file.
- In the Customize Hardware Inventory dialog, click the OK button.
The user prompt file is distributed to the selected Clients when you next perform the Get User Data Operation. The Clients are prompted with the questions when the PC is next started, or when the Client application next runs.
- The prompt file is renamed to LUTINFO.REF when it is distributed, so that it overwrites any existing REF file on the Client PCs. This ensures the Client finds and runs new user prompt files regardless of the original file name.
To avoid overwriting uncollected prompt data, make sure you run an Update Hardware Inventory Operation before sending a new user prompt file.User Prompt Files and Clients
User prompts are stored in LUTINFO.REF. The boot control program (CLBOOT) of the Enterprise Client checks the file every time it runs:
- If it finds a LUTINFO.REF file, CLBOOT looks for a LUTINFO.INF. If it finds an .INF file that is newer than LUTINFO.REF, it assumes the user's answers are up-to-date, and the Client user is not reprompted.
- If CLBOOT does not find a LUTINFO.INF file, or if the file is older than the .REF file, LUTINFOW loads the questions, default answers and help text from LUTINFO.REF. It then prompts the Client user to answer the questions (or collects the data from the PC) and saves the user's answers to LUTINFO.INF.
Working with User Prompt Data
You can list the user prompt data for Clients using the Comprehensive Client Report. You can also view and work with prompt data in the following ways:
- To view the prompt data associated with a Client PC, right-click the Client in a Group and choose Properties from the shortcut menu.
- To display the prompt data in Database Views or to use it to identify Clients in Dynamic Groups, choose User Prompt Information in SQLWizard's Field Selector list. For more information, see "Using SQLWizard".
![]() Vector Networks http://www.vector-networks.com Voice: +44 (0) 1827 67333 Fax: +44 (0) 1827 67068 info@vector-networks.co.uk |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |