Topic Codes are first created in the Topic Codes service and then later associated with one or more services in Aptify.
- Open a new record from the Topic Codes service.
- The Topic Codes service is located under the Administration – CRM and Aptify Administration applications.
- Enter the name of the topic code in the Name field.
- Enter a brief Description of the topic code.
- If the topic code falls under another category, specify the parent topic code in the Parent field. Specifying a parent category creates a hierarchical structure for topic codes.
- Leave the Status set to Active.
- Inactive topic codes are not available for selection on a Topic Codes tab.
- Select a topic code Type: Category or Code.
- If this topic code is a parent for other topic codes, select Category.
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If this topic code is not a parent for any other topic codes, select Code.
- Select the Value Type. See Specifying the Topic Code Value Type for more information on available value types.
- Enter a Default Vale.
- For Aptify 5.5 and 5.5.1, leave the Default Value field at its default setting.
- For Aptify 5.5.2 and up, default values can be defined for the Numeric, Text, and Multiple Choice value types.
- If the Value Type is Numeric, specify a default number for the topic code.
- If the Value Type is Text, specify a default text string for the topic code.
- If the Value Type is Multiple Choice, specify one of the defined values for the topic code as the default value.
- A default value cannot be selected for Yes/No value types.
- Specify the Start Date for the topic code.
- The Start Date is today's date by default; it is a required field. This specifies when the topic code is available.
- Specify an End Date, to determine when the topic code will no longer be available.
- If the current date is after the End Date, the topic code will no longer appear on a Topic Codes tab, even if its Status is Active. The topic code is only available if the current date falls within the Start Date/End Date range you have specified.
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To create an open-ended topic code, leave End Date blank.
- Specify the services to which this topic code applies. See Assigning Topic Codes to Services for more information on Topic Code Entities tab.
- Save and close the Topic Codes record.
Specifying the Topic Code Value Type
The sections below describe how to specify the topic code value types.
Yes/No
Specifying the Yes/No value type creates a check box for the topic code on a Topic Codes tab. This is the default setting.
Multiple Choice
Select the Multiple Choice value type to add a drop-down list to a selected topic code. A user can then select one of the possible values to assign to the topic code. Note that the drop-down list only appears when the check box for the corresponding Topic Code is selected.
For example, an organization can create a Travels for Work topic code to track Employees who are frequently off-site. In addition, the organization can define a set of possible values to further distinguish employees, such as based on the amount of time they spend working off-site. Then, the organization can search for employees based on the Travels for Work topic code or on a specific value that corresponds to one of the topic code's multiple choice options.
Follow these steps to create a multiple-value topic code (see Creating Topic Codes for general instructions on creating topic codes):
- Set the topic code's Value Type to Multiple Choice.
- Click the Topic Code Possible Values tab and add the set of possible values to this tab.
- Click the New icon to open a new Topic Codes Possible Values record.
- Enter the value in the Value field.
- Enter an optional Description.
- Click OK.
- Add additional values as necessary.
- Save the Topic Codes record.
Numeric and Text
Select the Numeric or Text value type to add a text field to a selected topic code. A user can then add additional information regarding this topic code selection. Note that the text field only appears when the check box for the corresponding Topic Code is selected.
From a user perspective, there is no difference between the Numeric and Text value types; they both add a plain text field to the topic code that accepts any characters.
Aptify provides the two value types for categorization purposes: use the Numeric type if you expect a user to enter numbers in the field, and use the Text type if you expect users to enter words or phrases. The Text option is suitable for Other designations.
Assigning Topic Codes to Services
Topic codes can be linked to any service and each service where the topic code applies must be defined on the Topic Codes record. Once the topic code has been assigned or linked to a service, the topic code appears on the Topic Codes tab of that service.
If a particular service does not have a Topic Codes tab, you can add one yourself using the Form Template Tab wizard. See Using the Form Template Tab Wizard for more information.
Follow these steps to link a topic code to one or more services.
- Open the Topic Codes record, if not already opened.
- Click the Topic Code Entities tab.
- Click the New icon to open a new Topic Code Entities record.
- Enter the service name in the Entity field.
- Leave the Status set to Active.
- By default, the Status of a Topic Code Entities record is Active, which means that the topic code will appear on this service's form topic (assuming the code is Active and that today's date is within the Start/End Date range of the topic code).
- If you later want to disable the topic code for this entity (but leave it available for other entities), you can change the Status to Inactive.
- Click OK to save and close record.
- Add additional services as necessary.
- Alternatively, you can click OK and New in Step 6 to save the current record and open a new Topic Code Entities record.
- Save and close the Topic Codes record when finished.
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