Using Standalone for Circulation on JWF

There is no separate standalone program; it is just part of the Java Client. If you are running only the C-client and want to run Standalone, you must install the Java Client.

When the Java Client Workflows loses connection, you get the message "connection closed to remote host, you must exit and restart the staff client."

Respond to this by saying YES, then re-launch Workflows and check the standalone check box. Click OK.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On the Module Toolbar, click on Offline. Click on the Offline Session wizard to set the properties. The User Access should be set to STANDALONE. The library should be set to your library. Take note of the Log directory where you'll save the offline file on your pc. It defaults to the Workflows directory under Documents and Settings\[Windows user logon name]. Click OK to save the settings. When connectivity has been restored, exit Workflows. When you log into the system, Workflows automatically uploads the offline file.

There are two ways you can process the offline files:

1) Logon all staff workstations that ran Standalone, then on any one pc, go to the Schedule New Reports wizard. Find the Circcustom tab and run the Load Standalone report. Be sure to look at the report to see what problems may occur that need attention, such as patron or item not in catalog.

2) Logon one workstation at a time, run the Load Standalone report, wait for it to finish, logon the next workstation, run the report, wait for it to finish, and so on.

What happens behind the scenes? Each workstation’s offline file is uploaded to a library directory and given a unique name. When the report runs, it appends all the files together. Either option 1 or 2 works for the WYLD Office; it’s your choice how you want to upload the files.

One caution to consider: When Workflows automatically uploads the file, once it’s transferred from the workstation to the server, it removes the file. There is no backup at this point. Other SirsiDynix libraries have complained about this, asking what happens if there is some sort of disruption. WYLD Office staff have not actually heard of any real problems with this, however, so we do not believe this is really an issue. We suspect that Workflows does not remove the file if it doesn't hear back from the server that the transfer was completed. On the server, the file remains until the next run of the report, so there is a backup there should the load report have a problem.

You can practice the whole standalone process anytime, just setup the Standalone properties and actually do some work in the offline wizards. You can be connected or not when you do this. However, you do have to restart Workflows to trigger the file upload. Then just run the report to evaluate the results.

Maintaining Your Library’s Calendar in JWF

In the Circulation toolbar under Common Tasks, click on the Library Calendar wizard to access your library’s calendar. There are two parts to calendar maintenance: Closed days and Closed dates.

If your library is closed on specific days during the week, click on the check box next to that day in the Closed days section. No due date will fall on a day of the week that the library is closed. Materials would be due on the first open day after that closed day. If no other changes are being made, click the Save button to close the Library Calendar wizard.

To select specific closed dates, click on the gadget next to the Closed dates box to get the calendars display as shown above.

If the month displayed is not the correct month in which you wish to select a closed date, use the arrows next to the Month and Year display to browse to another month.

To enter NEW closed dates, on the Closed From calendar on the left, click on the date that will be the beginning closed date. The same month and date will be selected automatically on the Until calendar on the right so if you are not adding a range of dates to that closed date, click the Add button to add this date to your calendar. If you are selecting a range of closed dates, select the correct month in the Until calendar, click on the ending closed date, and then click on the Add button. The dates you’ve selected in the calendars will then display in the listing of closed dates. Notice that if your library is closed for only a single date, that day will display only in the first “Closed from” column.

When you have selected all the closed dates you wish to enter, click the OK button.

Click the Save button to close the Library Calendar wizard.

To make CHANGES TO DATES YOU’VE ALREADY ENTERED into your calendar, select the new dates in both calendars, click the Update button. Click the OK button to acknowledge the change and close the calendar window. Click the Save button to close the Library Calendar wizard.

To REMOVE DATES from your calendar, select the dates you wish to remove and click the Remove button. Click the OK button to close the calendar window. Click the Save button to close the Library Calendar wizard. The calendar holds 64 calendar dates so, as part of your calendar maintenance, it is important to remove older dates that are no longer needed for calculating overdue fines. A range of dates count as a single closed date.

**Make your calendar changes in a timely manner and DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CALENDAR WIZARD OPEN as this prevents any other library from accessing its calendar.**

**ONE CAUTION** It is possible to accidentally remove all your closed dates if you do the following.
If you have the Library Calendar wizard open, have selected the closed dates gadget and have made some date changes; then, if you still have the closed dates gadget open and close your Java Client, Workflows comes back with the usual mesage: "This will halt the workstation. Yes. No.". If you click YES, you will get the message "There are wizards that require attention. Please close the wizards." At this point Workflows has closed your "closed dates" window but has CLEARED all your dates. To prevent losing all your dates, you just need to select "Cancel" instead of “ Save.” If you select “Cancel”, none of your changes will be saved, but you will not lose all your original date entries. Additionally, Workflows will not shut down when you select “Cancel”. This is a bug in the software that has been reported to SirsiDynix with the hopes that it will be corrected in a future software release. This should not prevent you from maintaining your own calendars; just be aware of how you can prevent the calendar from being blanked out.

Collapsed Tree View of Call Number Display in JWF

If you dislike the display of call numbers and barcodes in the wizards of Java Workflows, try collapsing the display so that the default shows only the call numbers. This option is controlled by a property setting in the Defaults tab of the Call Number and Item Maintenance wizard and the Item Search and Display wizard in the group of Common Task wizards. This property setting is also available in the group of Title Maintenance wizards: Modify Title, Duplicate Title, and Delete Title; and in the group of Item Maintenance wizards: Add Item, and Edit Item.

The property setting is shown above on the left and the resulting display of call numbers is shown above on the right. If you choose this display as your default, simply click on the plus sign next to the call number to view the barcode associated with that call number.

Show Serials Control Tab in JWF

It may often seem difficult to determine if there is a serials control record associated with a title without searching with one of the serials wizards. However, there is a property setting in the Item Search and Display wizard of the Java Client that will enable you to display a serials tab on a Detailed Display of any title that is under serials control.  The property setting displayed here is about halfway down in the Defaults tab under the section for Extended Info Display Options. This same property setting is also available in the C-Client.

Setting this option in the properties results in the display shown below.

JWF Editing a Bibliographic Record: Adding a Tag

There are two ways to add a new tag to an existing bibliographic record using the Modify Title wizard. In the examples below, an additional ISBN is being added to the record.

In the first example, the new ISBN is being added below the last 020 tag on the record. A right click on the tag closest to where you want the new tag to be placed results in the drop down menu shown. Highlight the option you want and click on it to add a blank field to the record.

Another option for adding a tag to a record is to use the helpers at the top of the display screen as shown below. In this example the new ISBN is being added below the last 020 tag on the record. Click on the tag closest to where you want the new tag to be placed, then click on the helper you've selected to create a blank field line in the record. **Note that the four helpers shown below are in the same order as the four options displayed in the drop down menu shown in the example above.**

The new, blank field line will appear as displayed above. You will need to add the tag number first and any indicators required for the tag being added. In the case of an 020 tag for the ISBN there are no indicators, but the 020 tag number must be entered before you can tab over to where the ISBN will be entered. The following error message displays if you do not enter the tag number. If you decide not to add the new tag, you must acknowledge this message before you can delete the empty tag line.

Removal of Item Notes in JWF

To remove notes on item records use the Call Number and Item Maintenance wizard in the group of Common Tasks wizards or the Edit Item wizard in the group of Item Maintenance wizards.


If you wish to delete a note from an item record, do not use the keyboard backspace key or delete key. Just as it was in the C-Client, the use of either of these keys removes text from the note but doesn’t clear out all information from that note area. To delete all aspects of a note, highlight the note prompt or note text that you wish to remove, then right click on that note to get the option to Delete Field. Click on the Delete Field button. Click on the Save button to save the change you’ve just made to your item record. Just as in the C-Client, the note prompt you removed will no longer display while you are still within the record. When the record is retrieved again, the note prompt you deleted will be restored.

Display of Item Notes on Call Number Hitlist Screen in JWF

On the call number/ item hitlist it is possible to see which items have item notes attached to them. Those items with a note will have a tiny yellow flag overlaying the machine readable barcode next to the printed item barcode as shown here. It is possible to see one of these little "post-its" on an item barcode in the hitlist but not see any text in any of the item notes when you view the item record for that barcode. This happens when someone removes the item notes incorrectly. If you just highlight the text and use the delete button, or the backspace button to remove the text, the system will leave the little "post-it" on the barcode in the hitlist.