Registry Viewer

The registry viewer enables the user to customize many aspects of the software in order to better serve his or her company.

Testing Your Registry Entries
The system does not verify the validity of registry entries. Be sure to test your registry entries after completing them to verify that they are functioning correctly.

Setting Values are Uppercase-Lowercase Sensitive:
The Setting Value is case-sensitive: be sure that you enter the value exactly as specified in the documentation. If the documentation specifies a value of true, do NOT enter True or TRUE.

Standard Registry Hierarchy:

When determining which registry entries a specific viewer, report or starter function uses, SAM Pro searches your registry according to a particular 'hierarchy'. This allows entries for specific branches and or users to override main entries. Unless otherwise specified SAM Pro registry entries use the following hierarchy:

sys-viewer-functionid-branchid (for all users in a Branch, unless overridden by first format)

The first format enables you to specify defaults by branch id and (optionally) user. If this entry is specific to a user, the branch must be specified if a user belongs to a branch.

If branches are not implemented, two dashes (not separated by a space) must precede the user id (as shown in the second option).

The fifth format pertains to the User Group Id in the User’s parent record (in the upper portion of the User record). You might want to implement this functionality to restrict the access of certain user groups to specific fields in a viewer, or to not display specific viewer tabs.

The last format would apply to all users unless another registry entry was created for their security or branch/user id.

Tip - Reports and Starter Functions: Registry entries for reports replace ‘viewer’ with ‘report’. Registry entries for starter functions replace ‘viewer’ with ‘start.

Export Registry Button
A specific registry entry can be exported by pressing the ’Export Entry’ button on the Registry Viewer. This function would typically be run to provide Data-Basics support with your registry setting for analysis or upgrading purposes.

The system will ask you to select a directory to export the XML file to. Be sure to note the location and filename so that you can easily locate the file. See Start Registry Export and Start Registry Import for information on additional, registry-related functionality.

Important Fields: Lower Pane

The Registry lower pane is sorted alphabetically when it is saved to make it easier look up the settings. They are sorted by the Additional Contents field so that the disabled rows (which begin with an 'x') will be grouped together at or near the bottom of the list.

These fields will be set based on the specific registry entry being implemented. Note that the Setting Key is NOT uppercase/lowercase sensitive, but the Setting Value IS case sensitive.

In Version 7.1 and before, the registry option and its value are separated by an equal sign and both are included in an Additional Contents line. In version 7.2, the option and its value are separated into two fields for data entry purposes: the Setting Key and the Setting Value. Everything to the left of the equal sign goes in the Setting Key field, and everything to the right goes in the setting value. Note that the equal sign is not used in either the Setting Key or Setting Value.

Old Format Example (for sys-report-serviceinvoice)

Additional Contents: autosavewhenprinted=true

New Format Example (for sys-report-serviceinvoice)

Setting Key: autosavewhenprinted Setting Value: true

Setting Colors

The registry may be used to set Dispatch Board colors. If you double – click in the Setting Value field, the color palette will appear, enabling you to the set color defined in the Setting Key field.

!! Indicates Comments

The double exclamation point (!!) is used to indicate the beginning of a comment. SAMPRO terminates the registry value when it encounters the comment marker. If you enter !! in a Setting Value and save the registry, the !! will be stripped from the Setting Value, and anything that followed the !! will be moved to the Comments field (click the Magnify button to see this field).

Quick Pick Enhancement

Double-clicking in the Registry Viewer’s Setting Value now displays a list of options for selected Registry Id’s. After selecting an entry, the user must then edit the entry so that:

The Setting Key only contains the text before (to the left of) the equal sign

The Setting Value contains the desire value following the equal sign (not including the brackets)

For example, if the sys-ffv-global-settings COPDropShipReceipts={serialized,manual} was selected, it would be edited as follows:

Setting Key: COPDropShipReceipts

Setting Value: manual

Notice that both the equal sign and the brackets have been removed.

Case Number: Topic: Default Value:
This internal field is maintained by the system for support purposes.

Topic: Default Value:
These fields display the Help Topic for this registry entry and Default Key Value for this Setting Key. They will be completed for more registry entries in future releases.

Additional Contents:
This field will display the contents of this option as it is actually interpreted by the system.

$image\magnifybutton.gif$ Click the Magnify button to display the detail version of this line. This functionality is useful if you need to enter a long pathname in the Setting Value, for example.

Comments:
This field may be used to describe this key value. If you included a double exclamation point in

Buttons:

Function Help:
Clicking this button will display the Help Topic for the function this registry entry impacts (if applicable).

Export Entry:
This function creates an XML file that includes the contents of this entry. You would run this function to provide Data-Basics support with your registry setting for analysis or upgrading purposes. The system will ask you to select a directory to export the XML file to. Be sure to note the location and filename so that you can easily locate the file.

Load Settings:
This button should be used with caution. Clicking it will replace the current contents of this registry record with a list of available settings. It is recommended that it only be used when adding new entries, not editing existing ones.

Show Help Topic:
If a Help topic has been created for this registry entry, clicking this button will display it.

Data Conversion Notes:

When your data is converted up to version 7.2 or above, all Additional Contents lines in your registry records will automatically be converted to the new Setting Key: Setting Value: format. If comments (indicated by the characters !!) were included in the original lines, they will be copied to the new Comments field.

If any of your original entries were disabled by an initial X and then a space, the Disabled box will be checked. If any of your original entries were disabled by an initial X (without a space), they the Setting Key will still include the X – effectively disabling them.

When a Registry record containing an option that is flagged as Multiple Settings (e.g, some sys-printer-W2 records) is loaded into the viewer, the option will be ‘exploded’ so that each setting now as its own Setting Key/Setting Value line. Disabled lines are excluded from this enhancement.

Locating Individual Registry Entries

Since registry entries are available for a wide ranges of functions, they cannot all be include in a single help topic. The Help Contents window to the left lists groups the registry entries by subject (e.g., System and Security, Display Options, and so on). Click on a topic (displayed as a purple, closed book) to expand it. In the following illustration, Purchasing has been clicked to display the registry entries pertaining to this subject. Double-click on a topic to display it.

Alternately, if you know the registry id (e.g., sys-newcall) you may use the Index window to look up the topic by entering the Id.

Comparison Against Database

This option (applicable to all registry entries) enables you to prevent copies of your database (which may be running for training or testing purposes) from interfering with "live" operations. Implementing this option in sys-report-serviceinvoice would help avoid inadvertently overwriting your real invoices while running a copy of your data to train new personnel.

where databasename is replaced by the name of your live database. Do not include the .db extension in the databasename (mydata rather than dbn=mydata.db).