Method Community

Lee,

TogsTeam:

1) How do I invoke Activity(2) from the Add/Edit all Contacts screen? (Or otherwise make the same edits to the New Activities... button there?)

 

What I would do is edit the New Activity screen (The screen that is called when you click on New Activity button from Edit all contacts screen) delete the current actions in the Complete, Save & Close button (or create a new button to be safe) and copy the actions from the Complete, Save & Close button by selecting Copy Action and from the drop down selecting Show All Accessible Controls In Account you may have to make some change to the actions but it easier then manually adding all the actions.

TogsTeam:

2) I created a new email template that successfully merges Customer and Contact data - but I can't get the Sales Rep data to merge in. Is there some syntax other than "SalesRep.SalesRepName" that I should use?

The easiest way to do this is to link SalesRepName to the Customer table using SalesRep and then use Customer.SalesRepName as the merge field. To use SalesRep.SalesRepName you will have to retrieve the sales rep's RecordID and use that in the merge Character Function.

TogsTeam:

3) Is there a way to replicate the Complete, Save & Close button/function on either the Send Email or Follow Up screens (or both), so that I don't have to train the staff they have to remember to return to the Activity screen to record the full activity?

You can use what I suggested for question 1 and copy actions or if it's in the same screen, you can use the Call Another Action Set action if it's on the same screen.

TogsTeam:

+ The editing interface for creating an email template was very flaky. For example, the Add Link function locked up most of the time, and when it didn't, it made no changes to the template. I had to add the link HTML by hand in HTML mode. Why is that?

+ I could not store an image on your server; every attempt failed, so I ended up linking to an image URL for now. I got the message:

Could not find a part of the path 'C:\MethodData\MethodIntegrationWeb\AccountPages\TemplateOnline\Images\GripRepositionRetrain.gif'.

 Which browser do you normally use? Currently Method does not support the uploading of images through the text editor so that is probably why you are receiving that error message.

-Michael

Michael - You said:

The easiest way to do this is to link SalesRepName to the Customer table using SalesRep and then use Customer.SalesRepName as the merge field. To use SalesRep.SalesRepName you will have to retrieve the sales rep's RecordID and use that in the merge Character Function.

I don't know how to do what you suggested above.

Which browser do you normally use? Currently Method does not support the uploading of images through the text editor so that is probably why you are receiving that error message.

I've tried embedding images with both Firefox and IE; I can create an external link to the image hosted on my website, but of course that's only a partial solution, as many email readers have image links turned off by default. If image upload isn't supported, why is the function even offered?

Again, what's wrong with the Link Builder function - am I supposed to have to build links by hand in hard-coded HTML?

Hi Lee,

Steps to add SalesRepName as a linked field:

1. Go to Customize > Tables/Fields
2. Look for the Customer table and click Edit Fields.
3. Select Add a Linked field
4. Select SalesRep in the Link Using drop down list.
5. Select SalesRepName in the Linked Field drop down list.
6. You can leave the Display As as is.
7. Click Add Field
8. Click Finished Editing Fields

You should now be able to use Customer.SalesRepName as a merge field.

The text editor was created by a third-party but I will create a ticket about the issue with the embedded images (Removing of that feature since it is currently not supported).  In regards to creating links can you trying clearing your browser cache, I tried this feature in both Firefox and IE and it worked.

-Michael

Thanks, I'll follow that process for linking fields. Presumably I need to wait until the engine is not actively synching.

I'll try clearing my cache before my next attempt at putting a link into an email.

 

Michael -- One question (and you'll know why) -- does the linked field I just established constitute a change to the Customer record for all my Customers?  In other words, am I going to see an extended Synch effort as a result?

Uh-oh, spoke too soon. After I clicked Finished Editing Fields, I got this error:

An error has occurred. An email has been sent to Method staff. If this problem persists, please contact the Method Team at method@alocet.com.

Now what?

I think the bug or whatever that popped up prevented the definition of the linked field. When I use the email template now, I get:

{Value of Customer.SalesRep} "Name"

Which displays as, for example:

"TO Name"

because for this record, "TO" is the value of Customer.SalesRep, and "Name" appears to be the 'leftover' after it parses the field name that it recognizes.

Let me know when it's safe to try the Linked Field definition again.

I know this error has been logged - I'm just noting that I tried again, and got the error when attempting to click Finished.  I was able to refresh the screen and return to the Edit Screens list of screens, and when I checked the Customers screen again, the new linked field was listed... but it's still not working in the email, and I can't tell now if that's an email problem or a system issue.

Michael - it appears that you have to give the new linked field a name that's unique from left-to-right: when the merge command is parsing the field name it stops as soon as it "reads" an existing field name. To illustrate:

Customer.RepName   - works
Customer.SalesRepName   -- merges out to "SalesRep(value)"Name

I tried to create two more linked fields in Customer, using the same process you defined above:

Customer.RepPhone  - doesn't work yet
Customer.RepEmail   -  doesn't work yet

Any suggestions?

Hi Lee,

What screen are you sending an email from, are you using a customized screen or a standard screen?

I created a linked field call Customer.SRPhone which links to the sales rep phone and it was able to merge successfully.

-Michael 

Use the path:

Sales Center | Contact Activity | Send Email | Use Template: General Follow-up

I didn't see your linked field in the Customer table; did you delete it after you tested it?

 

 

Lee,

I didn't try it in your account; I tried it in my account which was having issues similar to yours previously. I would confirm that the Sales Reps have an email and phone listed. The best way to do that is export the sales rep table(Method currently doesn't have a sales rep screen) or go into QuickBooks and look at the employee that your sales rep is linked to and ensure that they have an Email address and phone on their account.

-Michael

Well, *that* was embarassing... you were right, the Sales Rep table didn't have phone and email values where I was expecting them. I exported the Sales Rep table and updated it, but now when I try to re-import, a strange thing happens: I can't select "Phone" as one of the Existing Fields for that column, because "Phone" isn't listed in the pulldown of field names. I also can't add it, as it already exists.

Is this a bug in the Import from File routine?

Lee,

It’s probably because the fields are linked fields. You are going to want to add the Phone and Email to the employee itself in Method or QuickBooks.  The SalesRep table references the employee so the changes to employee should be reflected in the SalesRep table.

-Michael

Unfortunately, not all of my Sales Reps are Employees - some are Vendors, some are in Other Names. I've confirmed phone # and email addresses for the Employees and Vendors, but the Other Names list doesn't provide for those fields. What's next?

Also, I really need to actually understand how this linked fields function works, and what it is I'm doing when I edit the Save button and add actions. I've checked out most of the webinars, but must have missed it -- where is this information laid out so I can learn it?

vc

TogsTeam,

TogsTeam:

Unfortunately, not all of my Sales Reps are Employees - some are Vendors, some are in Other Names. I've confirmed phone # and email addresses for the Employees and Vendors, but the Other Names list doesn't provide for those fields. What's next?

In a situation like this you could create a second phone number and email field in the sales rep table and add the info there but that info would not be linked to QuickBooks. 

TogsTeam:

Also, I really need to actually understand how this linked fields function works, and what it is I'm doing when I edit the Save button and add actions. I've checked out most of the webinars, but must have missed it -- where is this information laid out so I can learn it?

 A linked field references a unique field in table X based on a field in table Y.

 

 

Based on the image above let's say you want to show the doctors phone number in the patients table. You could go ahead and add a new field for doctor phone number in the patients table but you would have to manually update that field in the Patients table every time the doctor changes their number but if you add the field as a linked field it will display in the Patients table and any time you make a change to the Phone Number for the Doctor in the Doctors table it will be reflected in the patients table. One thing you should note is that if you make a change to the linked field it will not save, so in this case if you change Phone Number in the patients table it will not update it in the Doctors table.

As for the save button I am not exactly sure what you mean can you be a bit more specific.

-Michael