It is well known that Laserfiche Forms is typically used to capture data and other information directly from users. But, many of our clients have extended the functionality of Laserfiche Forms by leveraging Laserfiche Workflow to accomplish many things Forms cannot provide on its own. One of these extended capabilities is the insertion of information into a MS Word document. To accomplish this, users continue to use Forms to capture contract details like the parties involved, dates, and amounts. Then, with the help of workflow, have those contract details automatically inserted into a Word document for review and printing. In this month’s article, CDI’s Software Trainer, Kyle Knebel, will walk us through how to accomplish the insertion of information into a Word document. In this example, we’ll fill out a Contract document. The instructions below are broken up into three main steps: Step 1: Create your MS Word contract document Step 2: Creating the Laserfiche Contract e-Form and Business Process Step 3: Creating the Workflow to Generate the MS Word Contract document Let’s begin! Step 1: Create your MS Word contract document. a. Get your contract document setup in MS Word; along with the Replacement Token text that will be replaced by the information coming from the Form. Replacement Token Text examples: Company Name = 1CompanyName1 Contract Effective Date = 2EffectiveDate2 Expiration Date = 3ExpirationDate3 *We will later use the Find-Replace function to replace the replacement token text with the actual data and dates. b. Save the new MS Word document to a windows folder. Later, you will upload this document as a Master Document within the Update Word Document Workflow activity. Step 2: Creating the Laserfiche Contract e-Form and Business Process Next, you’ll want to build your Laserfiche Forms Business Process, which really is a pretty simple design. You gather some information on the e-form, and then upon submission, the data is used by Laserfiche Workflow to create the filled-out MS Word Contract. Open Laserfiche Forms and click on the Manage tab. a. Create a New Business process in Laserfiche Forms Designer (you can create one from scratch or pick a pre-built template) We’ll create a Blank process for this example. Give the process a name and then press Create. b. Once in the Design screen, skip down to the Forms section and create a new form. Click on the Create New Form link and give it a name, for example, Contract Submission Form. c. Insert a Single Line Field for the Company name, insert date fields for the Effective Date and Expiration date fields. and d. Go to the Process Diagram section in the Process Designer. e. Configure the process steps to send the Contract metadata to Laserfiche Workflow. 1. Drag the Start Message activity to the canvas and release. 2. Open the details pane of the Message Start Event on the right side of the screen. 3. Set the starting form (there should only be one) 4. Next, drag the Workflow Service Task activity to the canvas 5. Click on the green Message Start Event so that you see the connection arrow above it. 6. Connect the activities with an arrow from the green start event linked to the Workflow task. Click and drag the arrow over to one of the Service task’s connection points and release onto one of the points. 7. Click on the Service task icon and open the details pane, then enter the Workflow Name. Let’s call it Contract – MS Word. *Note: The workflow has yet to be built, but we will name it here in this step, and use the same name when we build the workflow. 8. Drag the End Event activity to the canvas. 9. Connect the Service Task to the End Event. f. As you can see, the Business Process is very simple, with just three steps. We can now move on to the Laserfiche Workflow Designer. g. Navigate to the Settings>Access Rights section and assign the users who will be using this form, and then go to the Settings>Process Options to publish the workflow. Step 3: Creating the Workflow to Generate the MS Word Contract document. a. Launch the Laserfiche Workflow Designer windows application. b. Name the new workflow as you named it in the Forms Service Task and connect it to the local Laserfiche Repository using the Manage workflow connection profiles.. link. c. Build the workflow activities that will fill out the MS Word Contract. 1. Drag the Retrieve Business Process Variables activity to the workflow canvas. 2. Set the properties on the activity to connect to the Forms server, set the Form and select the field values to retrieve. 3. Next, add the Update Word Document activity 4. Configure the properties of the activity by uploading the Contract document you just edited (the one with the replaceable text). Press the ellipsis button to select the Word file attachment. 5. Press the Add button, press the ellipsis button and select your Word file. Click OK, then press Close. 6. Next, modify the activity so that it runs the Find-Replace function that updates the values for the contract. i. Press New… ii. For the first field, enter the Find what: value as the replaceable text, which in our example is 1CompanyName1. a. Check Match case and Match whole word and enter the token for Replace with: value. b. Select the token and click OK. In our example, we will have three Find Replace modifications. 7. Repeat the modifications by adding the other replacement fields. 8. When the Update Word Document activity runs, by default, it creates a new document from the source document it used as a template. To access this document, you will need to pair the Update Word Document activity with an Email or Attach Electronic Document activity. To store the Contract as a document in the repository, you’ll use both the Create Entry activity and the Attach Electronic Document activity. i. Drag the Create Entry activity onto the canvas, after/under the Update Word Document activity. ii. Set the properties of the activity… iii. Then add the Attach Electronic Document activity. Set the properties on the activity. Choose Activity as your Source… Set the Update Word Document>Result File as the source… Set the Attach File To as Other Entry and select Create Entry>Output Entry… Click OK. d. Publish the new workflow, which will not require any conditions nor a schedule. It should Validate without errors, but if you get any warnings or errors, correct the issue and then republish. Validation will run and then you can press No when asked if you want to create start rules. Since the Forms process starts the workflow, there is no need to give Workflow any start rules for this workflow. Thanks, Kyle! Now that readers have had a chance to practice and complete all three steps, it’s now time to create some contracts by filling out a Form. If you have any questions or wish to speak with a CDI professional team member, contact us at support@cdi.support.

This month’s Consultant’s Corner article focuses on managing records with Laserfiche’s Workflow 10.4. We connected with Kyle Knebel, Software Trainer, here at CDI, to give us a quick overview on the new activity made available to automated records management functions. Kyle, what is new in Laserfiche regarding Records Management and Workflow in version 10.4? With the release of version 10.4, Laserfiche has made it possible to apply Records Management properties to folders and documents, without having to use formal Records Series or Records Folders. For many clients this can possibly do away with the need for “Transparent Records Management.” In addition, Laserfiche Workflow now has a new activity with seven records management actions designed to automate records management functions, minimizing the Records Manager’s workload. With the new changes in Laserfiche 10.4 giving Workflow the ability to manage records, what can it do? The new Set Records Management Properties activity is in the Workflow toolbox within the “Laserfiche Actions” group. Simply drag the action to the designer canvas and configure the action properties. Below are examples of the seven available records management actions in the activity: 1. Set filing date 2. Set Event date 3. Cutoff 4. Set Retention Schedule 5. Add Hold 6. Remove Hold 7. Assign Cutoff Instruction What are Holds and how can workflow help? A Hold, formerly called “Freeze,” is used to mark a record from being disposed of during normal Records Management. The record still exists in the Records Management lifecycle but can’t be deleted. Can Workflow take disposition actions on Records? Laserfiche Workflow is not allowed to dispose of records; either deletions or accessions. This should always be managed and completed by the Records Manager, so that they can be sure of a proper disposition. Thank you, Kyle! We always appreciate your timely updates and insight on the newest functionality available from Laserfiche. We hope you enjoyed this month’s discussion with Kyle and are excited to now have the ability to apply Records Management properties to your folders and documents. If you have any questions or would like more information on how to use the tools discussed today, be sure to contact the CDI consulting team for further assistance.

This month’s CDI Consultant’s Corner focuses on Laserfiche’s Settings Lockdown for Advanced Laserfiche Administration. We took a moment to sit down with Kyle Knebel, Software Trainer, here at CDI, to give us a quick overview on these advanced settings. Kyle, what is Laserfiche Settings Lockdown? With Settings Lockdown, you can limit the ability of a user to change certain sets of options in the Windows Client and the Web Client; either for the entire repository or for specific users or groups. A Laserfiche Administrator can go into the Everyone Group properties and create a new [Lockdown] entry in the attributes tab. The Settings Lockdown prevents that user or group from changing specified Options in that locked category. 1. What types of settings can be secured using the Laserfiche Settings Lockdown? There are 5 different categories of settings you can lockdown. These categories are: SearchSettings - for example, search results limits and fuzzy search settings DocViewPanes - prevents affected users from opening, closing, or rearranging the panes in the Laserfiche Windows client's document viewer - this setting has no effect on the web client. AnnotationStyle - all annotations created by affected users will be public annotations QuickSearch - control which searches will be performed when affected users use the quick search bar in the Laserfiche web or Windows client. AdvancedImport – for example, PDF image page generation, default volume, or document name conflict settings. For more information about the specific settings that can be locked in each of these 5 categories, go to the following Laserfiche Support Site URL here. 2. How do you implement the Laserfiche Settings Lockdown? There are several steps in locking the settings for a user or group. First, you will want to set the defaults for each of the specific settings to be locked in the categories. This means that in the Everyone Group’s attributes tab, the administrator will pre-configure any settings they want to make as the default for the user or group being locked. Note: each category has several options, but you don’t have to set them all, just the ones you intend on locking down. Next, you’ll need to obtain the SID (Security ID) of the user(s) or group(s) you want to lock down. The administrator will need to navigate to the Users and Groups node in the Laserfiche Admin Console, highlight the user or group, and then Export the trustee XML. (You’ll save it locally, and then view the XML file to find the SID number.) Do this for each trustee you will be locking down. You can right-click on the trustee, choose All Tasks>Export as XML. Or highlight the trustee and select Action>All Tasks>Export as XML from the File Menu. Open the file and look for the SID number. It looks something like “S-1-1-0” or it could be longer, as shown in the example below. Then, you will lockdown the overall category. Note: Since Settings Lockdown is applied to specific users or groups, those who are not affected can change their Options settings at any time. However, they will be assigned the same default settings you applied prior to locking down the settings. To Lock Down a user or group, you will proceed to the Everyone Group properties and click on the Attributes tab. Click on the View Subset list and select “Lockdown”. Press the Add button on the right side to configure the attribute for this user or group. You will need to configure a separate attribute for each user or group to lock down. To lock a setting for all users, lock the Everyone Group (SID: S-1-1-0). Here’s an example of the syntax for the attribute: Below is an example of a Lockdown attribute fully configured. (this example SID is made up – don’t use it in your system!) Once locked down, when the user goes to their options settings they will see a message informing them that some settings have been locked, see image below. 3. What are recommended best practices when using Laserfiche Settings Lockdown? We recommend as a best practice that you only change the defaults on the least amount of options, so that you don’t overly impact those users (possibly the majority) with settings they will need to change. Use the attributes of a user that you have tested with, then copy their attributes to the Everyone Group. Once they are copied, then you can add the Lockdown attributes for each user or group that will be restricted. Thanks, Kyle! Great information, as always. If and when your organization needs to limit Laserfiche options for your repository or just for specific users or groups, you’ll now have the how-to knowledge to take control. If you have questions or would like more information on these settings, be sure to contact the CDI consulting team for further assistance.

This month’s Consulting Corner focuses on Laserfiche’s new Microsoft Office Preview Service; available in the Laserfiche Web Client. We sat down with Kyle Knebel, Software Trainer, here at CDI, to give us the quick run-down on this new feature. Kyle, how do you use the Laserfiche Office Preview Service? There are two ways to preview Microsoft Office documents in the Web Client. The first method allows you to display the document in the document viewer. The second method allows you to display it in the folder browser preview pane (formerly called the “Unified Metadata pane”). Method #1: Display Document in Document Viewer Select the document you want to preview Expanded the folder browser preview pain, select Preview Click, Show Preview Method #2: Display Full Document in Folder Browser Preview Pane Click on the document name hyperlink. Typically, another browser tab will open, allowing you to view the Office document *If you need to edit the file, select the Edit With button near the top right corner Do you need to setup the Office Preview Service in the Web Client? No, there is nothing to setup or configure for the Office Preview Service; it is part of the Laserfiche 10.4 Web Server. Do you need a Microsoft Office Online account or an Office installation to preview documents? No, there is no need to have an account on Microsoft Office Online, nor do you need an existing installation of Microsoft Office on your computer. A new feature in the Laserfiche Office Preview Service allows users to create Office documents directly in the repository without needing to first create them externally and import them. What types of Office documents can be created using the Laserfiche Office Preview Service? You can create three Microsoft Office document types: Microsoft Word Microsoft Excel Microsoft PowerPoint. What are recommended best practices when creating documents using the Office Preview Service? There are a couple steps I like to take to make my life easier when using Office documents in the Web Client, especially when I need to edit them. Step #1 I first add two icons to my Toolbar; the Check-Out Document and the Check-In Document buttons. They dynamically activate when you select an Office document. When the file is not yet checked out, the “Check Out” button is only visible. When the file is already checked out, the “Check In” button is only visible. How cool is that? Step #2 After I create a new blank Office document, I use these toolbar icons to open the document. It is a Best Practice to use the Check-Out/Check-In feature so that you don’t lose edits if your computer becomes disconnected from the Laserfiche Repository. Are there any caveats to using the Office Preview Service that users should be aware of? Excel files will usually display only the first “worksheet” of the document, if possible. Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint previews will show the first 4-5 pages/slides. And, if you have generated text on any of these documents, the text will be displayed in the preview pane. Thanks, Kyle! As you can see, the new easy to use Microsoft Office Preview Service has some impressive and true time saving features. If you have questions or would like more information on this tool, contact the experts on the CDI consulting team for further assistance.

The Workflow Condition Editors play a major role in workflow operation, and when used incorrectly can cause problems with workflow instances. This article discusses the types, importance, and best practices using the Workflow Condition Editor. What is the Workflow Condition Editor? Workflow Condition Editors allow users to configure actions, activities, or particular business processes to occur in a Workflow when specific criteria are met. A workflow can contain several different conditions within a workflow including conditions for various activities. Types of Conditions Wait Conditions – This condition holds an entry from moving forward in the Workflow process until a specific criterion is met and the condition is satisfied. For example, a client agreement document must be reviewed and signed off on before it can get delivered to a client folder. The user may be required to change a template field from For Review to Approved; in this case the entry would wait for the change before proceeding to the next step. Decision Conditions - Workflow can route a document to different people based on conditions. Decision conditions are configurable when routing decision activities are used. For example, Workflow could be monitoring specific folders for a change. When change A occurs a document is routed to B. When X happens the document goes to Y. Starting Rule Conditions – Configuration of starting rules includes determining the condition(s) that will initiate the workflow. Business Process Requirements – Condition editors for business processes signify when a business process is allowed to be started from Laserfiche Web or Windows Client. Creating a Condition The condition editor contains several different features, let’s break it down here. It is worth noting that you can add as many conditions as you need, but add them carefully . The best practice is to keep it simple. Group – The group text allows users to specify the predominant condition that all the subsequent conditions in the group must meet. Condition Type – The condition types available in the condition editor are assigned through a series of nested menu options that begin as a comprehensive set of options but become more specific. Point to the entry, document, or folder that the condition will involve. The condition is satisfied when a user performs the action that is specified in the other criterion. Searching – When defining a condition that includes fields, tags, or tokens you can search within these categories to quickly find the metadata or token. If you want to locate a template field quickly narrow down your search by selecting the template so only its fields will display. Operator – This text is a keyword that tells the relationship between the condition type and the value on the right. The available operators depend directly on the condition type text that is selected. Condition Value – Complete the condition by setting a specific value. The operator that is chosen will play a key role in ensuring that the condition is met. Users have the option to use token values or even regular expressions in some cases. Ordering Conditions Logical Groups – Conditions are evaluated in a top-down order. It is important to keep that in mind when ordering groups of conditions. In the example below, all of the conditions from the first group must be met before it will even look at the second group. Performance – In the interest in keeping workflows operating at optimal efficiency, the condition’s order can effect workflow performance speed. Once a condition evaluates to false the entire condition evaluates to false, from top to bottom. When you place a condition that takes less time to evaluate at the top of the condition list, Workflow can skip the remaining conditions, going from the least time to evaluate, to the most. Fast – Laserfiche sends this information over with the notification from a Laserfiche Server - these conditions do not require a call back from the Laserfiche repository. Medium – This condition requires a call to the Laserfiche Server to retrieve field values for that entry. Slow – These conditions require calling the Laserfiche Server and request specific information and have Laserfiche calculate data and count or check if there is a document in a folder with the condition you are trying to locate. Recommendations for Conditions Certain actions can prevent conditions from being evaluated. Follow these recommendations to mitigate potential issues. Use one type of condition or the other. For example, if you combine folder and entry conditions in the same wait condition, changes to one of the conditions may not be evaluated. Group conditions when possible. Grouping conditions helps to keep it simple but remember to organize your groups logically since they are evaluated from the top-down. Carefully consider multi-value field tokens. When multi-value-field tokens are used, the condition will be satisfied when any of the values meet the condition. Keep it simple. The simpler the better. As you make the conditions more complex, they can become harder to manage. This can result in a condition that cannot be satisfied. Test your workflow conditions before deploying. A poorly configured condition can cause non-functioning workflows, runaway workflows, or even suspended workflows. We hope that you found this information helpful. The condition editors are a powerful tool within the workflow application, and can help you to automate efficiently. If you need additional help configuring workflows or setting up conditions from starting rules to decisions, please contact the CDI Consulting Team.

When it comes to Laserfiche metadata, are you taking advantage of all the features available to you? In this month’s issue we sit down with Kyle Knebel, Consultant and Trainer at CDI, to discuss the types, importance, and value that metadata brings to Laserfiche. Laserfiche metadata consists of several pieces of information that ultimately improves searchability and eases data accessibility within Laserfiche. In this article, Kyle highlights how you can leverage your metadata to improve your system. What is the importance of metadata in Laserfiche? Metadata includes, “Fields, tags, Links, and templates” Kyle shares, “they are important tools to identify entries in Laserfiche. This information makes it easy to search for entries. They also provide information to be used by automated workflows that route entries or involve user interaction.” What is a Field in Laserfiche? Kyle explains, “Just like a book in a library has a title, it also has an author, publishing dates, a publisher name, a Dewey Decimal Number (a Library filing code), an ISBN number (unique book number), and other information. In this way, you can find books in a library based on many different sorting criteria. Each of these criteria can be thought of as ‘Fields.’ You may have heard of the term ‘Index value,’ which is really the same thing. It is a single piece of information that can be set on an entry in Laserfiche, either on a document or a folder. This field information stays with the entry. Field data makes it easy to find a Laserfiche entry based on that single field value or a combination of field values and text (where appropriate).” What are Templates and how do you choose what information is on a template? According to Kyle, “A template is a collection of similar or related fields. You can create a template for any purpose, for example, 'client files' where you track the client name, client email address, client phone number, and advisor name. Or, you could create a template for accounting documents with an invoice number field, purchase order field, check amount, check date, check number, net discount, and other values.” He tells us, “Laserfiche administrators can create any number of templates in the system, and each template can contain any combination of existing fields. The best practice is to limit the number of templates based on department needs, business processes, or special filing categories. We typically see a maximum of about 30 templates in a given repository. However, the Laserfiche system has no upper limit. It becomes a practical matter for users, rather than a system limitation. If there are too many templates, you could consider applying Template Security so that users only see the templates they need to see/use.” How do you determine which documents or folders should have metadata such as fields and templates applied? As we see the value in templates, Kyle explains, “There are two fundamental reasons to use metadata. One is for search, and one is for Laserfiche Workflow automation. Typically, we first consider metadata for document search and retrieval. Secondarily, we consider metadata for routing and business processes via Laserfiche Workflows.” Why would a person use just fields instead of templates? Kyle says, “Sometimes a single field may be used because it’s not needed on every single entry and may be unique to that particular entry. For example, you may have a ‘Workflow history’ multi-value field assigned to an entry by Laserfiche Workflow. This way you can set a workflow activity to assign history notes to the text field as to what actions have been completed to the entry.” Is there a way to quickly determine what metadata or template information is applied to a document? Kyle describes, “One of the easiest ways to see metadata on an entry, without having to open the Metadata dialog box, is to add columns to the ‘Contents Pane’ in the folder browser. The benefit of adding the columns is that it allows you to see all the information about the documents at once, helping you easily identify missing details. You can also open the document viewer and see the metadata for a particular entry from there, if needed.” What are tokens? “Tokens are a placeholder for a value; like a user’s login name, or today’s date, or the parent folder’s name of the current entry. The actual token value is replaced when the entry is saved,” Kyle shares. “They allow fields to be dynamically populated with details. These are popular for use with Workflow; allowing retrieval of information from Laserfiche Forms or a database, for example.” When should tokens be used? Kyle suggests, “Tokens are best used when you want to let Laserfiche fill-in field values when naming new documents when scanning or using Snapshot.” He says, “They are ideal for email imports since Laserfiche provides unique email-specific tokens when using Outlook Import. Email import uses unique message tokens found on emails only. Here’s a sample template using email tokens. This template and the fields need to be created in Laserfiche before you can use it. However, once built, if you apply the template to an email message, its message properties will be filled in on the template.” How do you determine the proper formatting of a token? “A token is usually formatted in the pattern: %(Token), for example, %(Date). Kyle describes, “In Laserfiche version 8 or version 9, tokens looked like this: $token$. However, anyone using version 9 and above should be using the newer %(Token) format.” Can you give some examples of how to use templates and tokens? A versatile feature, “Tokens can be used in fields as default values in the Laserfiche Client, both Windows and Web, Laserfiche Workflow, Quick Fields and Snapshot,” Kyle shares. “Tokens can be used when scanning, including Web Scanning.” “Tokens can be used in Snapshot.“ “They can even be used in Microsoft Office.” How do you update metadata if information changes and can the updates be automated? “Once the token is replaced with an actual value because the entry change was saved, the metadata will not change on its own,” says Kyle. “However, you can use Laserfiche Workflow to make updates to the value in a field. Laserfiche Workflow is an automation tool that allows Laserfiche administrators to find entries and run activities against them, such as changing a field value, or applying a template, or even reading the field values to rename the entry.” Quick search and retrieval of documents, along with consistent naming conventions, or simple report generation, are all benefits of using Laserfiche metadata. The available metadata tools have many possibilities, determine which of them are helpful to you. For help setting up Laserfiche fields, templates, configuring tokens, or finding other ways to use metadata, contact the CDI Consulting Team.

When it comes to Laserfiche Security, it is essential for repository access to be configured correctly for users to perform their tasks. This article discusses several steps that can be taken to optimize the overall effectiveness of your Laserfiche content security. Laserfiche Security best practice suggests it is helpful to concentrate on keeping the all-around infrastructure simple. It is recommended to work from the repository root folders largest toward the smallest document level and fine-tune, as needed. Where to Begin? Here are some simple tips to get you started: Begin by logically configuring your users and groups as if you are setting up the repository from scratch; if you have an existing system, you will want to run a security report to understand the current security situation. Determine feature rights, privileges, and entry access rights. Determine what security features are needed. Test and correct as necessary. Groups Vs. Users There are benefits to setting Laserfiche Security at the group level as opposed to the user level. The users will inherit security from the group. Group configuration advantages include: Easy setup and low maintenance going forward Increased consistency Laserfiche repository groups can collect a variety of users Useful for Windows/LDAP groups that don’t align with Laserfiche use cases perfectly Helpful for testing When creating groups, consider the types of users that you have and how you want to group or separate users for security purposes. Groups are often set based on roles or department. In some circumstances, users will need to have security set at the user level; examples include: Personal folders Folders with special security needs Distribution of privileges Core Security When administrators are configuring security for the repository, three questions are commonly asked. 1. Who - Which users and groups have access? It is important to remember that users inherit access from groups they belong to, and in a well-designed repository, most security is set at the group level. Additionally, many security settings for a single user are combined. 2. What - What can they do? The individual access rights determine what operations are possible. Examples: Browse – See but not open folders and documents Read – Open folders and documents viewing contents and metadata Modify contents – Make changes Additionally, the permitted or prevented actions are specified with the following settings: Allow - users can perform the action Deny - user is prevented from performing an action Blank - user can perform the action if they have inherited the right from higher in the tree; if not, they can’t 3. Where – What portion of the repository will the rights will be applied to? It’s worth noting that every document and folder does not need separate security rights applied. The best practice uses inheritance propagate rights downward and scope to allow administrators to determine how far to propagate the right. Repository relevant security that all administrators need to be aware of include: Entry Access Rights – Refers to direct access to documents and folders within the repository. When configuring entry access rights, it is beneficial to plan and determine the configure setup that requires the least amount of manual configurations. Recommended best practices for setting entry access rights include: Establish rights on folders, not documents Configure your repository to take advantage of inheritance Use scope to determine how far down the tree the rights should extend Keep configurations to a minimum Feature Rights – Tools available to specific user or groups;, giving administrators the ability to allow or deny actions across the entire repository. Users are required to have both the relevant feature right and the appropriate access right to perform the actions. Privileges – Privileges grant administrative power; granting a wide-range of abilities. These privileges can override other security when the user is granted the Manage Entry Access Privilege, which allows the user to browse the entire repository. Privileges are not required for standard tasks such as filing, viewing, and modifying documents. Security Deployment Considerations While User access is a critical component of effective security administration, securing your network environment and automation factors is also key. Cover the basics by locking down and encrypting file in Windows, you will want to include: formatting Volume locations Databases Search index files Another important component is ensuring secure communications between components. Using other supplemental methods to help support your security plan include supplemental security items like: Security tags - Referred to as point security and is used to “hide” a document. Access to a document with a tag applied is only available to users that are granted access to the tag. The tag follows a document through the repository and overrules other security including privileges. Template access rights - Administrators can deny Read access for a template to hide the template or hide its fields on entries with that template even if those fields have individually been given Read access. Fields that appear outside of the template on an entry are not affected. Template access rights are often used for user convenience (showing only relevant templates). Field access rights - The Write Metadata entry access right controls who can edit fields on specific documents. However, field and template access rights can be used to make exceptions for specific fields or templates. Volume security - Volumes store copious amounts of information including images, text, and electronic files on the hard drive. Volume rights control access to those components of a document. The default security settings are usually enough but can be adjusted if the need exists. Test, Test, Test Finally, as security measures are being configured, test your progress. Setting up security by Groups is very useful for testing. Additionally, testing as you implement helps verify that your ‘broad strokes’ approach worked properly before handling exception cases, and will help you pinpoint any security features that maybe misconfigured. Remember that access rights take effect immediately and everything else requires a logout/login. If you want to see the security configuration at any point, run a security report. These reports allow for easy spot checking and rights reports, which are great for troubleshooting or auditing purposes. This can be an extremely useful tool to help administrators understand a repository that they have just inherited. In summary, a comprehensive look at your current security practices or implementation plan will help you identify and address any issues, allowing you to achieve a Laserfiche system that operates with top notch security. Final key takeaways include: Leverage scope and inheritance for simplicity Work from largest to smallest Set general rights and increasing granularity Start small, test and then expand Use the fewest number of features to do what is needed We hope you have enjoyed this article. If you need assistance configuring your Laserfiche system security, please contact the CDI Support Team.

When it comes to convenience, Laserfiche Forms offers ways to make your daily operations easier using a customizable dashboard. In this month’s issue, we sit down with Kyle Knebel, Consultant and Trainer at CDI, to discuss how to build a dashboard using Forms. Laserfiche Forms is a versatile solution that not only allows users to submit forms but use its features for creating a functional dashboard. As organizations require increasing access to numerous sites and resources, having a strategic interactive visual display can improve overall efficiency across departments. In this article, Kyle highlights what the “Forms Dashboard” is, how it is built, the benefits of use, and more. What is the “Custom Forms Dashboard”? Kyle explains, “Since the primary purpose of this forms capability is to present quick links to other Laserfiche Forms or even just web sites, you can call it a ‘Dashboard.’ However, Laserfiche Forms does have a specific kind of Dashboard, called an ‘Operational Report,’ found in the Reports section of Laserfiche Forms. See the example shown below.” What are the differences between the types of dashboards available in Laserfiche Forms? Laserfiche Forms offers different types of Dashboards. Kyle details what each offer: 1. “Operational Report - This is a pre-built report that Laserfiche Forms 10.4 (and other versions) provide for each Business Process that you build in Laserfiche Forms. It shows metrics for particular forms, including tasks completed or overdue. It also shows the time each task has taken and can help identify bottlenecks, whether it is at a specific department, user, or stage in the process. 2. Performance Report – Before version 10.2, Laserfiche Forms also generated a pre-built reporting module that described the amount of time that tasks within a business process were taking, although this has now been wrapped up into the single ’Operational Reports’ found in Forms 10.4 3. Landing Page - A ‘Landing Page’ allows the Forms Administrator to provide quick links to Business Processes available in the system. Laserfiche forms will generate a thumbnail image that can be clicked to launch that e-form. 4. Custom Dashboard Form – This is a single form with no submission or routing to users yet provides quick links to any web URLs needed. It differs from the pre-built reports in that you build this ‘Dashboard’ as a Form within a Business Process. At CDI we’ve built a ‘Dashboard’ Form that provides our staff with links to many of the business applications and Laserfiche forms that we use daily.” Is the Dashboard easy to set up? According to Kyle, “Creating a Dashboard Form within a new Business Process is very simple. It consists of a Form and a Custom HTML field. All designed within the Business Process, like any other form.” How dynamic can a Forms Dashboard be? “A Forms ‘Dashboard’ page,” Kyle tell us, “Can be modified, but it’s not truly dynamic. An administrator would have to modify the HTML in the Custom HTML field to add or change the links therein.” What are the benefits of building “Forms Dashboard”? While there are some benefits to building a dashboard, Kyle says the most significant advantage is, “Having a Forms Dashboard gives end users a quick way to gain access to the applications or forms. Initially, at CDI, the dashboard was created to fill the need for a single location to store a growing list of form links, in addition to other resources. The dashboard quickly fulfilled the need to provide the links our teams needed to complete their jobs more efficiently.” What considerations should be made when creating a Forms Dashboard? CDI recommends three key considerations when planning and maintaining a Forms Dashboard. 1. Maintenance – The dashboard is made up of mostly HTML, so it requires updating semi-frequently, so ensuring time for maintenance is an integral part of planning. 2. Ease of Use – Ensuring dashboard ease of use for the end-users. Consider what would be their ideal view as a homepage is essential when organizing the page. 3. On-boarding – For someone new to the organization the dashboard can be a fantastic resource. It can be overwhelming keeping track of sites and URLs for a new employee. Why would an organization use a Forms Dashboard instead of just a webpage? “Using a Dashboard provides an excellent way to organize and consolidate links to applications and webpages based on processes used by departments, people, or even categories,” Kyle shares. What kind of tracking does it allow? Kyle explains, “A Forms ’dashboard’ does not have any tracking, since it is not an actual form, but simply a way of providing links to other Forms, other applications, or other websites.” What are some top tips for designing a custom Forms Dashboard? The top tip we can suggest, Kyle says is to “have someone skilled in the use of HTML for website design on staff or easily accessible to create this dashboard.” Can you share how CDI uses the Forms Dashboard? “At CDI we’ve built a ‘Dashboard’ Form providing our staff with links to many of the business applications, and Laserfiche forms that we use daily,” Kyle describes. “We also used the Page Break field to create the tabs at the top of the form, allowing us to separate content relevant to each department.” CDI focuses on discovering and sharing intuitive ways to make your job easier using Laserfiche tools like the Dashboard. If you would like more information on starting or building a dashboard for your organization contact the CDI Consulting Team today.

The new features in Laserfiche Forms are sure to enhance the way your office gets things done. This article details the new user-friendly and time-saving improvements that 10.4 delivers. These updates make designing business processes and using Laserfiche Forms even more appealing. Promotion Tool Ensuring reliability with a process is an essential step to successful user buy-in and adoption. Therefore, thorough testing of a process is critical when it comes to the implementation of any new solution. The new promotion tool allows designers to master their processes before placing them in a live environment; working out any glitches before going live. Once the operation is accepted, administrators can transfer the process from a test environment into the production environment seamlessly. Simply import the exported business process onto the production server. This updates the necessary values to make the switch. Copy and Paste Eliminate reconfiguration with easy to use ‘copy and paste’ features. This allows the flexibility of reusing already configured process elements. The copied elements remain in a hover state once copied, allowing for easy placement. The copied items can be used within the current business process or put onto another business process. Rich Text Field Are you looking to do a better job at branding your organizations forms? The new Rich Text options allow for bullet points, text styling and the ability to include links in submissions. Bulk Approval Perform an action on multiple tasks of the same type for the same user simultaneously. Email Teams Are you tired of adding one email address at a time? Now you can set up an email service task to contact an entire team. Make managing contacts simple by managing email lists as a group rather than individuals. Multiple Payment Gateways Create multiple Authorize.Net and Braintree profiles in Forms to give users additional payment options. These new payment options are configured directly from Forms, and once configured, will enable you to choose the preferred profile within the designer. Data Maintenance System Administrators can now manage and maintain Forms database size easily with new automated features and configurable settings. These new options include retrieving instance data from completed processes after a specified number of days, removing instance statistics from completed processes, or removing uploaded files from the Forms database. User-based Team Management Now you can quickly view a list of users and the teams they belong to, and conveniently streamline your team management by adding individual users to multiple teams. Also, assigning security roles to various teams is another option. Dynamic Form Selection In previous versions of Forms, you could only assign a fixed form in a user task; meaning many different process paths had to be developed to account for different scenarios. Dynamic Forms selection now allows users to use variables to choose a form. The value of a variable can determine which form is used and will allow for a more fluid process design. Location Now users can add a geolocation field to a form. The data collected will become the location property for the form which is stored in the repository. The Web Client and App use the location data to allow users to view and search for forms on a map. Timeout Timeout options are now available. Timeout allows Forms to disconnect a user after a specified amount of inactivity. Built-in prompts are available if the user wants to continue the session. Administrators also have the option to allow auto-saving of work-in-progress. Take advantage of all the new functionality now available in Laserfiche Forms. If you are considering updating to the latest version and would like more information on Laserfiche Forms 10.4, please consult with the CDI Support Team today.

Are you up to speed on the latest Laserfiche Tips and Tricks? The CDI Consulting Team has put together some of their favorites that are sure to improve your experience. Read on to discover ways that you could increase your Laserfiche effectiveness. 1) Star Your Favorites For documents or folders that you use frequently but don’t want to have to search for or navigate to all the time, you can add a star and those items will show up at the top of your repository! Just navigate to the file or folder and either right-click and select add star or click the button on your toolbar (after it’s added). Now your frequented documents and folders appear at the top of the navigation pane, making access quick and simple. Are you looking for another shortcut to the starred content? You can also add the star to your toolbar. Click the drop-down arrow next to the blue question mark, then select Customize. Select the Commands tab. And DRAG the star anywhere on your toolbar. 2) Metadata Report Generator The metadata report generator is a quick way to inventory your data or quality control check your template information. It will give you as much or as little information as you need quickly. This reporting feature allows users to create “ad-hoc” reports within a range of time or from a single type of document to get a high-level granular makeup of their repository. If the user is diligent, it’s usage could include functions like bank reconciliation and account matching. Once you have selected the folder with the information you would like to report on, follow the next steps to generate a report: Step 1: Click on Tasks Step 2: Generate Report Step 3: Choose Metadata Report Step 4: Click Ok 3) Keyboard Shortcuts Shortcut keys are a well-known but frequently forgotten feature. They can be especially helpful when entering metadata or testing workflows. You can even assign customized shortcuts for the ones that works best for you. Common Shortcuts include: · New Document = Ctrl+D · New Folder = Ctrl+N · Spacebar = Enters today’s date in a date template field · Delete = Ctrl+Alt+T 4) Save Column Layouts Configure your columns in different ways based on the information you would like displayed on the screen. Once you have a view created, you can save it. You can create and save multiple views based on your needs and switch between views, as desired. Create your Column View with these steps: Step 1. Right click on any column Step 2. Choose More Step 3. Place Check-marks next to each item you wish to see Step 4. Click Ok Step 5. Click and Drag the columns into the order you want to see. 5) Web Client iframe Tab Did you know you can add iframes to the details pane in the Laserfiche Web Client? Access another Laserfiche application, web application, or external website from the details pane in your Laserfiche Repository. For example, this feature can be useful for organizations that store tracking numbers for shipments. You could create a custom tab for the carrier’s website using that field value as a token. The carrier’s website could open and use the token information to find the shipment details quickly and conveniently. *Note: The user must have the Manage Repository Configuration Privilege to use this feature. Here are the steps for configuring this feature: Step 1. Click Options Step 2. Click Display to view available settings Step 3. Click Add to add the new tab Step 4. Enter a new tab name Step 5. Enter the URL and make selections Step 6. Click, ok. Now the new tab is ready to use. 6) Create Custom Quick Searches The Web Client makes it super easy to share Custom Quick Searches with other groups of users in your organization. You simply click “Apply to the following group,” and they get access to the quick search! No more export/import of attributes for Custom Quick Searches! 7) Web Client Security Reporting Tool Previously, the Security Reports were only obtainable in the past with a special tool, such as the CDI security reporting tool. This is no longer the case because the security properties report is now included with the web client. The Web Client also offers additional options when compared to the desktop client. It can generate these reports MUCH faster. The options shown are not currently available in the desktop client. The expanded features include totaling Sums, Max, Min, or Averages for things like document pages. This feature can be useful when creating reports to determine how long an OCR job may take on a given directory. Not only that, but users can substitute these reports for a Laserfiche Workflow generated dataset. For example, if there were a need to export files out of Laserfiche, it would have been necessary to create a workflow to capture all this data, insert it into a data source, then take that data source and make it readable by turning into a .CSV or Excel file. However, users can generate reports like this without Workflow, which can aid in migrating documents from Laserfiche to other applications, or new Laserfiche systems. The Security reporting allows for a simple and more user-friendly way to audit security, and either find holes that need addressing or widen protection if there are frequent issues. For example, if you wanted to determine what users/groups could Modify, Rename, Delete or otherwise affect files/folders in a specific directory in Laserfiche, you could run this report: Below is a sample result of a security report from a test repository: What this tells us is that only the WF and ADMIN users may Modify, Rename or Delete, while the other users do not have this ability. The results are ideal, as those users (in this example) should only have browse and read rights. Now you are well on your way to saving more time with these helpful Laserfiche tips. If you are looking for more ways to save time or improve how you use Laserfiche, contact our CDI consulting team today.