The system comes complete with comprehensive user documentation (user manual) and on-line help facilities. On-line help is provided at the individual field level.

It is intended that the on-line user manual should be your first resort when you are requiring information.

The system contains an on-line version of the user manual. This is almost identical to the hard copy version except for slight changes which make the on-line manual far easier to use.

fig. 1.3 - A Typical System Form (ovw09)

Each web page relating to a part of SIS has been written to a standard template so that the structure of each web page is identical.

fig. 1.4 - Documentation Template (ovw02)

In the diagram above, a subsystem is presented as a chapter of the manual, a form is presented as a web page and a block is presented as a subsection of a web page.

While it is not essential, it is advantageous for you to have some knowledge of the use of web browsers. Sufficient instruction will be provided here for you to be able to perform the necessary operations to access and use the on-line manual.

The Field Help facility provides context sensitive help on all fields within the system. In Field Help you will also find buttons which activate the on-line manual.

There are three methods of activating Field Help:

• Using function key F1.
• Selecting the Help icon from the tool bar.

• Selecting Help under the Help menu.

fig. 1.5 - Field Help Form (helpform)

The picture above is of a typical Field Help form. Contained within this form is the following information:

• The Field Name - This is the name of the field as it appears in the database design and is not necessarily identical to the field name you see on your screen.
• Optional Indicator - Indicates whether insertion of data in the field is mandatory (N) or optional (Y).
• Datatype - defines the type of data which may be entered in the field. The types used are:
• CHAR - data containing any alpha, numeric or symbolic characters
• NUMBER - data containing numeric characters (plus decimal point) only. The exact format is specified in the Length box.
• DATE - only valid dates may be entered.
• Length - The number of characters of data which can be entered in the field.
• Table/Column - The name of the database table and the column within the table where the field resides.
• Field Help - this area will generally contain a brief description of the field. It may on occasions contain other information such as advice regarding valid data values, interaction with other data elements etc.

The above items are primarily of interest to System Administrators or staff generating ad-hoc reports.

Along the bottom of the Field Help form are navigation buttons which are described below.

The on-line user manual is accessed via navigation buttons in the Field Help form. There may be up to seven navigation buttons which can be tailored to the needs of individual institutions. Most forms will contain at least the four standard buttons as shown in the previous picture. That is:

• More - Indicating 'more help', this button navigates to the on-line user manual 'in context'. That is, the part of the user manual which is displayed will correspond to the SIS form which was being used when the Field Help was activated.
• Index - As you would expect, this button navigates to the User Manual's Index.
• TOC - This button navigates to the User Manual's Table of Contents.
• OK - This button is used to cancel the Field Help and return to the SIS form.

These four buttons are sufficient to fully use the on-line manual.

Hypertext links are a means of navigating between documents or to specific points within documents. The picture below shows a section of text containing hypertext links.

fig. 1.6 - Text Containing Hypertext Links (ovw03)

Note that the display of hypertext links (ie. colour, underline etc.) is dependent on how your browser is set up and may differ between browsers and from user to user.

Pictures may also be used as links. They are termed hyperlinks. For example, throughout the manual a small picture of a mouse is displayed.

Clicking on the picture will display a picture of the database form to which that part of the manual refers.

Hypertext links allow rapid navigation between parts of the manual. The web browser being used to view the manual also provides some navigation tools. The picture below is of the toolbar in Netscape Communicator 4.03. Most browsers will have similar toolbars performing similar functions.

fig. 1.7a - Netscape Toolbar (ovw04)

The picture below is of the menu bar in Netscape Communicator 4.03 of the Netscape web browser. Most browsers will have similar menu bars performing similar functions.

fig. 1.8 - Part of Table of Contents (ovw18)

Each of the entries shown underlined in the picture above is a hypertext link to the relevant part of the manual. For example, to see information about Government Course Types select the Table of Contents entry Course Structure and Planning from the left column and Maintain Government Course Types from the right column. Having visited the Table of Contents it is easy to return to it by either clicking on the Back button on the browser toolbar or clicking on the Table of Contents hypertext link at the top of the displayed page.

The index is designed so that even if you are not sure of the exact name of the item you are looking for, you should still be able to locate it. For example, if you are seeking information about course offering patterns you would be able to commence searching the index using either course, offering or pattern as your primary search criteria.

The index entries are primarily nouns. For example, if you are searching for instruction on 'how to delete a course offering pattern' you should search on course, offering or pattern - not on delete. Verbs are used in the index only in relation to system wide processes. For example, 'deleting records' or 'moving between fields'.

A feature of the keyword index is the use of synonyms. If you do not know the correct terminology for the information you are seeking, a range of synonyms is provided to help initiate your search. For example, 'date alias instance' may not spring readily to mind, however, the index contains entries for event and occurrence which will both lead to 'date alias instance'.

The browser you are using, may have a function similar to Netscape's 'Go' menu option. The Go option permits direct navigation to a page of the manual previously viewed in your current browser session. Each page has a title by which it may be recognised using this function.

To use the Go menu option to navigate directly to a previously viewed page of the manual (using Netscape):

1. Select Go from the menu bar.
2. Select the required (previously viewed) page from the drop down menu. The page will be displayed.

Bookmarks may be a feature of the web browser you are using. They enable web pages which have been visited to be recorded in a list and recalled whenever they are required. This is particularly useful for pages of the user manual which you visit frequently. The instructions below apply to the Netscape browser but most browsers will operate in a similar way.

1. Start with the page of the manual you wish to bookmark displayed on your screen.
2. From the menu bar at the top of the screen, select 'Bookmarks' and from the drop down menu select 'Add Bookmark'.
3. Select 'Bookmarks' again and note that the page you have just bookmarked now appears in the list.

An on-line feedback facility has been provided as part of the on-line manual to allow you to quickly and easily report problems, make suggestions and record comments. Your opinion is valued and will help to improve the system. This facility provides the following option:

Selecting the print option will cause the displayed web page to be printed. Remember that a web page can be more than what is displayed on a single screen. Most On-line Manual web pages are three printed A4 pages or less in length, however, the largest is around 24 pages.

Help is the term for all the resources which aid users in effectively using the system. Within the system there are three specific help mechanisms:

Warning messages are displayed to alert users to the results of a particular action. They are intended to allow a user to modify their course of action if they consider the result undesirable. They may also warn of the need to check results, check other data or perform additional operations. Warning messages are identified by the picture of an exclamation mark in a yellow circle. Below is a typical warning message.

fig. 1.9 - A typical warning message. (ovw06)

Warning messages should be read carefully to ensure that their message is understood and any appropriate action is taken.

The message is acknowledged and removed from the screen by selecting the OK button.

The error messages within the system are intended to assist the user in understanding their interaction with the system. They generally occur when an activity for which the system cannot cater is attempted. This may include both 'illegal' activities (involving incorrect data or actions) or 'out of bounds' activities where an activity requires the system to perform functions for which it was not designed.

Errors are notified by a pop-up alert which signifies that an error has occurred. They are identified by 'Error' in the form title bar and a large red stop sign.

fig. 1.10 - A typical error message. (ovw07)

Error messages should be read carefully to ensure that their message is understood and any appropriate action is taken.

The message is acknowledged and removed from the screen by selecting the OK button.

Some warning and error messages contain an additional button as shown in the error message in Figure 1.11. The Help button displays additional information regarding the error or warning message.

fig. 1.11 - A typical error message with help button. (ovw29)

Messages displaying a Help button will usually contain information written by users for the purpose of providing a clearer explanation of the error. Selecting the Help button will either:

• display the original system message or
• display other user defined information regarding the error or warning.

Unhandled System Errors are advised to the user by a pop-up alert with the word Forms in its title bar. These are errors which have not been 'handled' by the programming of the system. This type of error should be notified to your Callista technical specialist who can consult the System Error Log to investigate the error further.

The primary limitation of a hard copy manual is the same as for all printed documents, that is, version control. There is inherent danger in issuing static copies of documents to staff as they are likely to be out of date very quickly. It is recommended that , apart from a few key personnel, users be encouraged to rely on the on-line manual as their information source. Printed copies of on-line manual 'pages' are readily produced where necessary.

The SIS User Manual is an enormous document containing over thousands of pages. The cost, waste of resources and inefficiency involved in distributing a hard copy version to users with a limited requirement for information make it unacceptable to do so.

A hard copy manual contains all the graphical features, especially colour, which the on-line version contains only while it is in electronic form. Colour printing would reproduce most of these features, however, it is unlikely that hard copy manuals for general distribution would be produced in colour.

The graphics in the hard copy version are linked to the document rather than saved in it. While this results in efficiencies in viewing and editing text, it makes transportation of the complete set of hard copy files difficult.

The SIS User Manual is only one part of the complete documentation necessary to efficiently operate the system. Complementary to the User Manual are written procedures and work instructions relating the business practises of an institution to its management of the system.

The development of written procedures is a matter for individual institutions and is not the subject of this manual. Provision has been made in the on-line help facility for the linking of on-line procedure documentation.