Star Micro Systems Discussion Forums

Mr. Appell-

In an effort to simplfy the chaotic mess our rolodex has become, I've been trying to insitute a system for entering names into the rolodex. I seem to understand almost everything fine, but one thing still gives me problems: the attach feature.

What I'm curious about, is when you click the attach button on the rolodex card and do a search, what is the criteria for appearing on the list of cases you can attach to?

Names seem to appear and disappear all the time on me and it's driving the staff crazy. I can't figure out way some names appear on the list of cards to attach to but others don't, and why it changes!

As always,

Joshua Morgan

1. What I'm curious about, is when you click the attach button on the rolodex card and do a search, what is the criteria for appearing on the list of cases you can attach to?

I'm assuming you mean when you EDIT a rolodex card and then click the Attach button all the way to the right of the firmname. What this does is allow SEVERAL CARDS to SHARE the SAME firmname and address.

Suppose you have an office Doe & Doe & Smith and there are 11 attorneys at a specific location at that office. Then you would only need to enter the address ONE TIME for say Mr. Jon Doe. Then when you enter the other 10 attorneys, you ATTACH the address to their cards also. This way, if they ever move, you don't need to enter the new address for the other 10 attorneys. Also, suppose one of the other attorneys becomes a partner and the firm name changes to Doe & Doe and Smith and Jones. You don't need to go to all 11 rolodex cards to change the firm name. When you change the firm name (or any other firm information) it changes for ALL the cards that are attached.

Here'a sort of a visual representation:

DOE & DOE & SMITH & JONES | Jon Doe Steve Doe
1111 NOWHERE STREET | Jane Doe Sam Jones
NOWHERE, CA 91436 | Jon Smith Jay Smith
----------------------------------------| Jane Jones ABC Jones

All the names on the RIGHT are SEPARATE CARDS but they are ALL ATTACHED to the same FIRMCARD. So, they share the same firmname and address as well as other firm information. Therefore, ANY FIRM INFORMATION that changes including the name and address AND Business Comments, changes for ALL attached names automatically for that one office location.

I realize this has confused some firms and I do plan to simplify this in the future. Most offices though, would not want to change a phone number on 30 or 40 cards for a LARGE defense firm with 30-40 attorneys.

Please let me know if this helps you understand the ATTACH feature better.

Mike.

Mr. Appell-

>>Please let me know if this helps you understand the ATTACH feature better.

Well, not really. I am quite familiar with the point and uses of the attach button. My question is a little more complex:

In the edit screen, if you click the attach button, a screen pops up.

If you type a firm name and press enter, it will automactically position to that name, or the first appearance of that name, in the rolodex list.

However, not all names in the rolodex appear on this list. Some are excluded. And some, having been included, will stop being included at some point.

My question is: What is the determining factor for inclusion or exclusion in this list?

Joshua Morgan

1. However, not all names in the rolodex appear on this list.

All of the firmnames should appear in this list. None should be excluded.

2. Some are excluded.

I would have to see this in order to confirm it as a bug. You may pkzip the card.* and card2.* and Email them to me if you like or perhaps I could sign on your system if you have some form of remote access so that we may explore this further.


Mike.

>>I would have to see this in order to confirm it as a bug. You may pkzip the card.* and card2.* and Email them to me if you like or perhaps I could sign on your system if you have some form of remote access so that we may explore this further.

This may not be needed yet. You said all firmnames will be included. Does that mean that if two cards share the same firmcode, only one will appear? If that is the case, I think that solves my mystery. I will check on this, see if this seems to be the case with my system.
The reason this is hard for me to tell is when everything was imported from File manager, all the attorney's in the same firm all had different firmcodes. It isn't until just now that an effort has been made to clean the rolodex up a little. So, the list will display dozens of identical firmnames, even if they don't all share the same firmcode.
But if you limit things by firmcode, it makes sense, because the cardss I have noticed "disappearing" always share firmcodes with somebody who does appear.

Does any of this make sense? Or am I crazy? Or both?

Joshua Morgan

1. This may not be needed yet. You said all firmnames will be included. Does that mean that if two cards share the same firmcode, only one will appear? If that is the case, I think that solves my mystery.

EXACTLY. You got it now. That was the point behind the example. Again, suppose there are say 15 employees at your law office (attorneys, paralegas, etc) and I enter 15 cards in my A1-Law system with their names. I enter your firmname and address for the first card. THEN, I use the ATTACH button to attach the remaining staff members to the same firmname and address for the remaining 14 cards.

Now, I have 15 cards in the rolodex BUT they are ALL attach to ONLY ONE FIRM CARD. Now, all 15 cards SHARE the same firm card. Therefore, if I change the firm name on one, it changes on all. If I change the firm address on ANY one card, it also changes for all (since they all are attached to the same card). If I change Business Comments on one card, it also changes on all (but not the personal comments, that is attached to the personal rolodex card and not the firm rolodex card).

Anything in a dark gray at the rolodex represents BUSINESS/Firm card information which may be attached to several cards.

Keep in mind that you don't have to use the attach feature at all. I could enter all of your staff members in say 15 cards and enter the firm name and address 15 times. But, if you move or change your firm name, then I just have to change it for all 15 cards that I have entered.

Once you have ATTACHED a card to a Firm Card, it's also possible to DETACH it if you made a mistake.

The purpose of the ATTACH (to a firmcard) is to avoid having to change multiple cards that share the same address. It also provides consistancy. In other words, one should not see the following in the rolodex:

Jon Doe, Doe & Doe, 123 S. First Street
Sam Doe, DOE AND Doe, 123 SOUTH 1St. Street

See how the two staff members above work at the same address but if we do not use the ATTACH button, then the firm name and address may be typed in differently for each person at that location?

Feel free to post again if you have any questions about this and/or see the help file for more information.

2. The reason this is hard for me to tell is when everything was imported from File manager, all the attorney's in the same firm all had different firmcodes.

You are 100% correct. It would be way to difficult for the Conversion Program to sift through names and figure out which ones should be attached and which ones should not.

But, I will be working on a Rolodex Wizard to clean up duplicates, consolidate it and organize it better.

3. It isn't until just now that an effort has been made to clean the rolodex up a little.

Yes - you are not the only one with this problem so I am working on some modules to assist with this. This is especially true for users who had a prior system.

4. So, the list will display dozens of identical firmnames, even if they don't all share the same firmcode.

Exactly. Ideally, if the rolodex were clean, it should only display one firmname at a specific address. So it could display the firmname 3 times if there were a choice of 3 different addresses. But, I'm sure there are more than that because of the duplicates. I really would not worry about it TOO much since my rolodex consolidation module will help clean all this up.

5. But if you limit things by firmcode, it makes sense, because the cardss I have noticed "disappearing" always share firmcodes with somebody who does appear.

I don't see that the cards "disappear" but there address may change if they are attached to a firm and someone changes that firm's address then it changes for all cards attached.

6. Does any of this make sense? Or am I crazy? Or both?

Makes sense except for the cards that "disappear." I'm not quite clear on that.

Mike.

Mr. Appell:

>>Makes sense except for the cards that "disappear." I'm not quite clear on that.

Well, I think we're talking about to slightly different things. I understand the point of cardcode/firmcode, etc. That was well explained in the help file. But in my efforts to clean up the rolodex I noticed this when I hit the Attach button:

Let's say I'm Attaching X card to card Y, since they share the same firm. So I open the attach window and click on Y. Fine.

But then I have W, who also works for the same firm, so I go to attach W to Y. But Y is no longer on the attach list. Y is still in the rolodex, but not on the list. But I see X, so I attach W to X, no problem.

The next time, maybe it's W that I attach to, because X isn't there, or maybe X is there, and W isn't, or maybe they're both there.

This is what I found confusing. I can work with it, but when I have to explain to others...they always want to know WHY?

Joshua Morgan

Hi,

your example above is a little flawed/confusing to me. Here's why: you say:

"Let's say I'm Attaching X card to card Y, since they share the same firm. So I open the attach window and click on Y. Fine."

But, as you know, you don't attach card X to card Y. Rather, you attach card X to FirmCard F. You attach card Y to firmcard F.

Then you say:

"But then I have W, who also works for the same firm, so I go to attach W to Y. But Y is no longer on the attach list. Y is still in the rolodex, but not on the list. But I see X, so I attach W to X, no problem."

But, again, as you know, you have W and you also attach it to firmcard F. X and Y are not in the list because they contain people's names (ie: Jon Doe, Jane Smith). But, what is in the list should be the firmname and address that they are both attached to for FirmCard F.

Mike.

Mr. Appell-

We're going in circles. I'm talking about the dialog box that pops up when you hit the attach button and you're talking about the system as a whole.

Whether there supposed to be there or not, there are names of individuals in aforesaid dialog box. They are in the far right column. Sometimes an individual that was on the list is no longer there.

Is this because there is another name, attached to the same firm on the list? Or what is the reason not all INDIVIDUAL names appear on the list? (and I do realize that this is a list a of firms, not individuals)

The reason why this is an issue: Because we have dozens of firms named X. We want all people at firm X to be attached to the same card, so we can benefit from the firmcard system. So when we add or edit a card of a person working at firm X, we want to attach to the correct card, but there are dozens of cards on the attach list that look identical. So what we do is attah to the name an idividual which we know is attached to the correct card (because we fixed their card previously).

After we do this, the card we attached to tends (not always) to disappear from the list in the attach dialog box. That is what I am refering to when I say "disappear"

Joshua Morgan

1. I'm talking about the dialog box that pops up when you hit the attach button and you're talking about the system as a whole.

No - I'm talking about when you click the Attach button when you either add or edit a name. The button located to the far right of the FirmName.

2. Whether there supposed to be there or not, there are names of individuals in aforesaid dialog box.

Ahh - then if there are - they have been entered in the FirmName section. For example: you may see Jon Doe or maybe Jon Doe Law Offices. Where they have entered the name in either or both the First and Last name as well as the FirmName. I have a feeling they probably have entered the name in BOTH spots which would explain EVERYTHING.

They are in the far right column. Sometimes an individual that was on the list is no longer there. Probably because you have this scenario:

a. I enter Jon Doe in the system and enter his name in the First, Last and I enter his full name in the Firm section.

b. Jane Doe works at his office and someone clicks the Attach Button and sees Jon Doe at that address and changes the FirmName to Jane Doe.

Now, Jon Doe is still in the rolodex but the firm has changed to Jane Doe.

3. Is this because there is another name, attached to the same firm on the list? Or what is the reason not all INDIVIDUAL names appear on the list?

I think some users are entering the person's name in the FIRM slot and others are leaving it blank.

4. After we do this, the card we attached to tends (not always) to disappear from the list in the attach dialog box. That is what I am refering to when I say "disappear"

If you find my above suggestion is incorrect or does not work and you have a way for me to log into the system remotely, let me know.

Otherwise, if this is what is going on, then let us know you figured it out.

Thanks,
Mike