Hi,
Need a multi-user Appointment Scheduling software for internal use.
No need for advanced functions like payment etc. which the online versions offer.
Ideas, anyone?
Hi,
what do you need exactly... something like "doodle.com"... or rather something useable from within "Outlook" or similar, etc.?
Cheers,
Thomas
On doodle.com one has to go through 4 steps and I need it on one page/one step, but I think it basically is what I'm looking for. (Have no experience with Outlook.)
Did some copy and paste and have attached a pdf that, hopefully, gives a clearer picture of what I need.
(Don't laugh,......didnt spend much time on polishing it.)
Hi Raiko,
I have vague memories that there was something like that in the old ibmworks or its earlier version. I'll try looking up what I have in my archives and see.
ivan
Quote from: ivan on 2010.10.28, 19:47:29
Hi Raiko,
I have vague memories that there was something like that in the old ibmworks or its earlier version. I'll try looking up what I have in my archives and see.
ivan
Correct. Version 3 (Bonus Pack Warp 3) onwards to Version 4 (came with Warp 4).
Office Automation Applications Personal Productivity Tools
------------------------------ ---------------------------
Word processor (WP) Year Calendar Phone/Address Book
Spreadsheet (SS) Appointments Planner
Database (DB) Contact List Notepad
Chart To Do List
Report Writer (RW) Event Monitor
More info for version 4 (which came with Warp 4 BonusPak):
IBM Tech Doc: IBM Works v4 (http://service5.boulder.ibm.com/pspsdocs.nsf/c7a34b35e55986f9862563cc00604815/372ab4c0a8fc415d062563a90082d3af?OpenDocument)
Apparently, many of the apps are REXX enabled and highly D&D enabled.
Hi Raiko,
Quote from: Raiko on 2010.10.28, 17:46:06
On doodle.com one has to go through 4 steps and I need it on one page/one step, but I think it basically is what I'm looking for. (Have no experience with Outlook.)
Did some copy and paste and have attached a pdf that, hopefully, gives a clearer picture of what I need.
(Don't laugh,......didnt spend much time on polishing it.)
Hey, no laughing here. That's a good way to show what you mean.
However, I did not fully understand, so I ask more detailed:
#1) You need an application that allows multiple people to agree on date and time of an appointment?
#2) When you say "internal use" - is that a network (1 server + n workstations) or "via Internet" ?
#3) If these people all run OS/2... (or even when not): How about using Lightning/Sunbird (Mozilla's "calendar" thing) ?
With Lighining/Sunbird you have the benefit of not only agree on appointments but also SAVE them into your own Calendar, along with other things...
Cheers,
Thomas
#1) You need an application that allows multiple people to agree on date and time of an appointment?
Not quite sure what you mean. Let's say a client calls and needs an appointment, then I need a tool to book/reserve
a time slot for that client. (Clients are impatient so the tool must quickly display availability and it must be easy to do
the booking.)
#2) When you say "internal use" - is that a network (1 server + n workstations) or "via Internet" ?
Server/workstations
#3) If these people all run OS/2... (or even when not): How about using Lightning/Sunbird (Mozilla's "calendar" thing) ?
All run OS/2.
Lightning installs as an add-on in Thunderbird and is not what I'm looking for. Sunbird looks promising, and the interface
is nice, but I think it will take a lot of programming to make it work the way I need
Volunteers....... ::).
Hi Raiko,
ahh... ok! So if the client calls, you only need to check YOUR calendar (=1 Person).
There is no need to find a timeslot for 2 or more people plus the client (no "group" meetings).
Okay, then basically anything that shows up on hobbes when using the keyword "PIM" (Personal Inforamtion Manager) should work...?
http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/h-search.php?key=PIM&pushbutton=Search
Regards,
Thomas
I've already searched hobbes without finding anything that can be used.
The calendar is not for one person, but for a business that offers appointments every 15 min. through the day.
(The appointment is not linked to any specific employee.)
Up to four persons answer phone calls and need to access and work with the calendar at the same time.
If you are halfway decent with REXX, you can set up a Calendar (or a calendar and multiple sub-calendars) via Google, and control them entirely using REXX - and interface with them any way you wish (web interface, programming interface written in... anything; REXX, C++, etc).
The only additional tool you will need is wget or cURL (or taking the time to write your own stuff in REXX to handle the http(s) communications - but dropping wget or curl into it is much quicker and easier, especially if you can find the REXXCURL library for OS/2).
It isn't necessarily the most ideal solution, but it will give you all the capabilities you wish, and allow you to extend those capabilities via some more (rather simple) scripting on your side, including databasing the stuff on your end or combining them with your contact, or "integration" with anyone's phone that's running Android.
Best,
Rob
Well, I'm halfway decent with DBExpert so making the UI and tables etc. is no problem, but creating the calendar would be hard, so if I had the calendar in place I think I would be able to write the code for the functionality. QT comes with a calendar ready for use and creating a UI with Qt Designer isn't too hard, but I have no experience writing the code that will be needed to make it work.
Maybe you can find something here! http://www.calendarzone.com/Web/
This is one of them: one free basic model and one pay. Uses php and mysql. http://www.calendarix.com/democal.html
Hi Raiko
I think I spotted something among the QT4 apps that may be worth investigating:
ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/qtapps/kontakter-0.2-os2.zip which has the description Kontakter is easy-to-use yet powerful address book with advance search functionality.
Not a brilliant description but it is always possible to find out more about qt4 apps at http://www.qt-apps.org/
Looking at the more detailed description here http://qt-apps.org/content/show.php/Kontakter?content=111040 I suspect that it may be worth a look.
Regards
Pete
Thanks for suggestions.
Tried Kontakter, but it's not usable for the task. Calendarzone.com has lots of links to various calendars, but I have not found a single one that can be used without changes. Often you have to go through 4-5 steps to book an appointment and that is too time consuming, besides browser based scheduling is not an option in this case.
Is there someone out there who knows QT or Rexx well enough to create the scheduling application I need?
I don't expect anyone to do it for free, so if interested, please send me an e-mail.
Hi,
well... I can do it in Rexx (DrDialog or vxRexx). However, I have yet to figure out what works best in matters of concurrent file access (file sharing, locking). Sure, a database server like MySQL makes sense... however affords to use rexxSQL (another white spot on my experience set). A client/server technology with a SQLite DB (controlled by the server part) would come to mind as well... there are lots of ways to create the thing.
The question is - what is suited best for the purpose. And therefore, I need to make sure I get the picture right:
- the persons are scheduling appointments for 1 person in the company?
(like 4 secretary people for 1 person who attends the appointments?)
- or: is each of the persons scheduling their OWN calendar?
(like: Person A schedules their appointment list, person B... person C... etc.)
- or: is each of the persons scheduling ALL calendars?
(like: There is a pool of 4 people doing appointments and each of them can schedule all persons from the pool?)
Perhaps it makes more sense to give detailed example of 2 or 3 use cases ("user stories").
Regarding your PDF: Is there an existing database that has customer IDs? (I noticed the "RegNO" -> is that a customer id?)
More questions:
- Is the network running file shares with drive letters or UNC names (like "T:\teamfolder" or "\\servername\resourcename")... or does it only support services (by a server/port id like "local.server.name:7789").
- How about backup? Is there an existing backup solution in place - and how does it work? (This would be affecting open file handling during backup... or how to deal with client/server database dumps before backup runs...)
Cheers,
Thomas
Quote from: warpcafe on 2010.10.30, 21:18:20
The question is - what is suited best for the purpose. And therefore, I need to make sure I get the picture right:
- the persons are scheduling appointments for 1 person in the company?
(like 4 secretary people for 1 person who attends the appointments?)
This is a workshop that has appoinments available every 15 minutes, but not assigned to any specific person.
Only one calendar involved and the "secretaries" must all have access to it, so it must be a "multi-user" database.
No existing database will be involved. (RegNO is a field meant to hold a vehicles registration number.)
At the moment It's a workgroup all running OS/2 Peer, but an eCS server well be set up soon.
No automated backup, for the time being it is done "manually".
Hello,
You can borrow some code from "Duplicate files on your computer? (http://www.os2world.com/forum/index.php/topic,2071.0.html)" when you want to store the information and connect to a database.
Just create the database and add the ODBC connection to the database in the ODBC Manager and then call it from rexx.
1. Connect
2. Command
3. Disconnect
rxODBC and rexxSQL is quite similar though rxODBC doesn't work with DrDialog yet (Haven't figured out how to make it load odbc.dll dynamically when restricted by DrDialog).
It's quite straight forward to work with databases with rexx. UnixODBC include it in the installation so it's available right away.
//Jan-Erik
Hi,
I'll do two POC (proof-of-concept) prototypes this week... hopefully.
- one is about the calendar grid and "slot" GUI parts
I need to see the effort required to make DrDialog implement logic and UI as required
- the other will focus on rexxSQL and SQLite
This is to check if DrDialog has some problems (or weakness) around using rxSQLite
The basic idea here is to see if it COULD work in general (from a tech viewpoint) and to provide a click-dummy prototype to Raiko so he can judge about user acceptance criteria (see where the journey goes).
The reason for using SQLite is that it requires only "a single file" as the DB "server" so it is transparent to use on peer-to-peer as well as real "server-based" networks. Also it eases backup (just copy the DB file). Lastly, it should integrate more or less simple with DrDialog via rexxSQL.
I'm no fan of having to deal with ODBC configs "managers" required at the end user, be it simple or not. I prefer to keep it simple and stupid but straightforward:
- Copy files
- Launch executable
- Works
Oh, while we're at it:
Raiko, question by example: Let's assume UserA has booked the slot at 9:00-9:15 on Monday and now the Customer calls again and declines the appointment... what happens? Is only "UserA" allowed to cancel the booking or everyone?
I understand that up to 4 people can answer calls and schedule the time slots. This means that UserA perhaps has booked the slot, but when the customer calls again to cancel/change the appointment, he will perhaps talk to "UserB", "UserC" or someone else... For me this means that everyone will have to be able to add, change and delete appointments... right?
Cheers,
Thomas
Quote from: warpcafe on 2010.11.01, 13:51:47
For me this means that everyone will have to be able to add, change and delete appointments... right?
Cheers,
Thomas
Exactly, that is the way it should work.
Sorry, but forgot to mention that there actually is no need for "end time" of the slots. Each appointment is always finished in less than half an hour. Sounds a bit strange, but there are several employees in the workshop handling the appointments without being assigned to a specific employee.
This workshop changes tires on cars/vans. Like right now is the high season for changing from summer to winter tires.
Thomas, need to mail you some info. Pls send an email to the address on my profile.
Tks, Raiko
Hi Raiko,
done.
BTW: Ahh! OK. So this is for people wanting to have a tire change - I understand.
Are you sure it's always done within 15 minutes? 4 tires with removal of old, putting up new, inserting valve, inflate, centerization and mounting? :-P No, just kidding... I bet you know the time required better than me.
Looking forward to your mail - if there is anything more the application should do (tire size selection from list, etc.) let me know. Perhaps you may want to have a customer database with plate and email for reminding them every half year... :-)
Cheers,
Thomas